The FFXI Chronicles: The Dawn Of The Immortal
by Vivli
Summary: Over 550 years ago an evil cult was defeated by the immortal Olose Sampson. Now it has returned to Vana'diel, and the champions of the land are nowhere to be found...
1. The Place I'll Return To Someday

**Disclaimer: I don't own FFXI. No surprises there!**

**Author's Note: This story is a little complicated. I'm suspecting some people will remember the FFXI Chronicles series and Twilight of the Immortal, my other stories. This story acts as a sequel to them both in multiple ways, but don't worry, I've tried my hardest to advance and change the characters so that you don't get sick of them!**

**If you're new to this, I don't think you'll miss out on anything you can't pick up, but the character's have changed in deeply dramatic ways which you may not appreciate if you're not familiar with what they were like beforehand; it may ruin some of the drama of the situation. Hopefully you'll soon adopt to my old writing style, which includes multiple homage's to various sources (which I really should stop doing, but leave in because I think they can be fun to spot) and quite often character based humour and storylines. However, I must admit this time, the usual humorous dialogue between the characters is downplayed at the beginning (at least for the main storyline; you'll see what I mean) which is because of the tragic story elements. Another point is I haven't played FFXI in a long time, and only got to level 30, so there may be multiple inaccuracies. I hope you can live with that, and enjoy the story for what it is, if such things occur, but I will make the effort to make sure they don't. If anybody spots anything, please tell me and I'll do my best to correct it.**

**I've tried many new techniques with this story also, which may not be entirely successfully, but hopefully people will find them interesting. Not least a movie style intro scene before the 'main title', and multiple uses of time skips, which should lead for an interesting narrative.**

**People who know me know I used to update once a day. That is gone now, I can't keep that up at Uni, but I'll make sure it's at least once a week. Probably more. (I currently have two more chapters done ready for upload).**

**Sorry to keep rambling, but this is an important _WARNING: _this story is rated teen currently, but that's subject to change. The story deals with very mature issues. No, I don't mean it's full of sex and violence. I hate written sex scenes with a passion, and not a fan of blood and gore overly. These are, as I said, mature issues, which even older readers may find deeply disturbing. I know I found and continue to find it disturbing to write. I would like opinions on whether to change it to mature because the issues really don't belong in teen. So far what I'm referring to is only implied, but it becomes fairly easy to guess.**

**Last but not least, enjoy, and please review if you have time, it only takes a minute or two and really means a lot to me. Or send me an e-mail if you like it, I really love to hear from you. Thanks for taking an interest, and I hope you enjoy!**

"She's not leaving."

"You're mistaken. I'm leaving, and she's coming with me."

"She can't. We're under orders. Jeuno swore to hold up their end of the bargain to the Alliance of the Four Nations."

"Pay attention! There is no alliance. Not any more. Bastok and San d'Oria are at each other's throats. Windurst is prepared to intervene with its own might at any moment. We're a stone's throw from war."

"All sides agreed this was the best solution. By allowing her to leave, we would be breaking that agreement."

"You aren't allowing her to leave. I'm taking her."

The guard laughed. A hume in full armour, fairly old, easily in his forties, with a scar running down his cheek. He reached for his sword. The man standing before him didn't move. Long black hair blew in the wind. He wore a simple rugged brown jacket, and looked rough and unshaven. Two swords hung from his belt, loosely resting against his legs.

"You?" He asked. "You realise who I am right? I'm head of the guard. I train hundreds of new guards every week. I'm the best. Turn around and you won't get yourself killed." The figure's dark eyes looked up and down over the guard, and he smiled slightly.

"I'm fairly confident I won't anyway." Came the reply. The guard drew his sword.

"My blade has been drawn. Yours hasn't. There's no way you can draw it time to block if I attack." He smirked. "You're finished."

"I'm taking her." The other man stated simply. "That. Is. Final." The guard swung the sword, and the other man stepped in, close. He rose his arms and blocked at the guard's arms, the sword swinging outside of him. He quickly locked the guard's arms and threw him over his hip. The guard slammed to the floor, the sword clattering away. "I didn't draw my sword because I didn't need to." The guard looked up in shock. The other man placed his foot on the guard's throat. "Now, I'm taking her. If you're worried about the peace between the four nations, then let her go. She's one of the only people who can stop what we both know is coming." The guard paused.

"Who are you?" He croaked.

"The name's Sampson. Olose Sampson." The other man grinned.

**THE FFXI CHRONICLES: THE DAWN OF THE IMMORTAL**

**CHAPTER I**

_**FOUR DAYS EARLIER**_

Olose walked with an angry frown upon his face, not spending time to look at the musketeers that surrounded him. He marched into the President's office in Bastok, the mighty hume and galkan capital. It was a particularly large galka that awaited him.

"Iron Eater." Olose stated, an annoyed tone in his voice.

"Olose Sampson. I'm glad you came." Iron Eater replied.

"Believe me, I'm only here through curiosity. If something is so important you swallow your pride and call me in, I feel I should know what it is."

"Don't' be so cocky." Iron Eater warned. "We have people we could dispatch for this kind of thing. You've been called in for a specific reason."

"I do nothing to serve Bastok. Not after what you did." Olose growled.

"We did what we were ordered! Don't blame the nation for the President's decision." Iron Eater shot.

"The President _is_ the nation." Olose replied. "You're the one that enforced that order. You could have let them go."

"I follow my orders." Iron Eater sighed. "Even when I disagree with them." He paused. "This is important. It involves more than just Bastok."

"Unusual for you people to see past the desires of your own nation." Olose muttered.

"Watch it. The President can be self centred and made a few bad decisions, but-"

"_Bad decisions_?" Olose cried. "He split them up!"

"Olose, I don't want to be having this conversation. Perhaps it was a mistake to call you here." Iron Eater sighed. Silence fell upon the two.

"Tell me what the problem is." Olose decided after a lengthy pause.

"What do you know of the salvage operations San d'Oria are conducting off their own coast?" Iron Eater responded.

"For the past year or so San d'Oria has been putting funds into salvaging old vessels that were lost at sea, finding ancient treasures and long lost artefacts, as well as antiques of huge value. They've made some priceless discoveries. I can't see why this is important." Olose shrugged. "This had better not be another quarrel between Bastok and San d'Oria you want me involved in." He warned.

"It's not." Iron Eater replied. "But it could become a lot worse. Recently one of San d'Oria's vessels claimed to have made a discovery; just an old transport ship, but with huge historical significance. They began a salvage operation, the ship being unusually preserved. However, at twenty one hundred hours yesterday the ship vanished."

"Vanished?" Olose repeated.

"Yes. It disappeared, without a trace." Iron Eater paused. "Naturally San d'Oria blames Bastok for the incident, and are demanding the return of their vessel. The President personally suspects Windurst's involvement, creating a magical disappearance. I don't believe any force was involved. I think we're looking at something outside the four nations."

"Why involve me?" Olose asked. "I'm not naïve. You have military intelligence, your own agents. Why me?"

"Let's admit it, you're the best, and without allegiance to any nation." Iron Eater gave as an answer. "It's best to have somebody who's neutral investigating this." He paused. "And you're an experienced captain. We need a good captain to go out there at sea and get to this area. See what happened." Olose smirked.

"I have no crew." He stated, an idea forming in his head. "My crew have been disbanded for years. My ship has been decommissioned."

"We can provide you with a ship and a crew-" Iron Eater began.

"No." Olose stated. "I pick my crew. I pick my ship. And then I'll do this job."

"Bastok will do their best to provide you with anybody and anything you need. And obviously your pay will be significant." Iron Eater said with a slight smile.

"I already know who my crew will be." Olose replied.

"You do?" Iron Eater questioned. Olose grinned.

"Oh yes." He smiled. Iron Eater's eyes went wide.

"Oh no. Not them." He simply sighed. "Olose, you know that's impossible."

"Impossible only because of your laws." Olose reminded him. "Lift the order. Let them be reunited. You know what the danger is here. San d'Oria and Bastok haven't seen eye to eye in years, and if an outside party did do this, somebody is trying to manipulate Vana'diel into war. They're heroes. They can stop it."

"Olose, their exile was agreed upon by the four nations, who have sworn to guard each one of them. I alone cannot allow them to rejoin."

"Then I'll do it, alone." Olose decided.

"Okay." Iron Eater smiled slightly. "You understand Bastok has no involvement in this right?"

"Of course." Olose laughed.

"One final detail." Iron Eater pointed out. "I had another reason to pick you for this mission."

"Which is?" Olose asked.

"That transport ship, the one San d'Oria found, it's old. Very old. Yet somehow preserved." Iron Eater paused.  
"So the ship is a bit abnormal as well? I'll look into it." Olose told him, slightly confused as to why that concerned him.

"Not just that." Iron Eater explained. "It's not any ship. It's your ship. It's the _Destiny_."

_**THREE YEARS EARLIER**_

"LET ME GO!" It was the main noise that tore across the Valkrum Dunes, emanating from a small mithra, kicking desperately in the arms of a large hugely built hume that held her tightly against him. She was surrounded by a group of the thugs, four humes, three galkas, all wearing black and crimson armour with a gigantic dragon's eye painted on it. A straight forward symbol, considering they were the notorious _Dragon's Eye_ gang. Vivli, the particular small mithra that was currently held by one of the thugs took a deep breath and decided to continue. "LET ME GO! HELP!" She bellowed.

"You gonna shut her up?" Snarled one of the gang.

"I dunno. I think she's tiring herself out." Laughed another.

_Yeah, just keep thinking that._

Vivli's thoughts had flashed across her mind for good reason. While her capture hadn't been part of the Light Warrior's plan, it had been _planned for_. Vivli had a habit to end up in all kinds of trouble, no matter what the situation, so when they had decided to send her to do recon, mainly due to her ability to make herself invisible, the Light Warriors had prepared for her inevitable capture. Of course, Vivli knew that Bootus, the hulking galkan monk turned dark knight of the group would never let her live it down, but she was willing to face that in exchange for freedom.

Two thuds and two of the gang went down.

"YEEHAH!" Echoed across the dunes as a long black haired elvaan, currently stood on a shield, surfed down one of the huge sand dunes firing arrows _as he moved_ and taking down the gang members. The thugs were quick to react, drawing their own bows and arrows, but they never quite got any shots off. Voldos, the awesomely skilled ranger of the group, let out a slight grin as he landed at the bottom of the hill, the shield sliding away from him. The bowmen threatening them already had their own issues to deal with.

A mountain of a galka, Bootus, pounced them from behind as soon as they were distracted. Two punches to two thugs, and they weren't getting back up. The gang member holding Vivli released her, and drew his sword. He turned too late to see her casting a spell, and she finished it with a grin. Nothing seemed to happen.

"You're gonna regret trying to fight me." He growled at the little mithra, who seemed to be bizarrely smiling.

"I don't think so." She grinned. The gang member looked down to see a small green rabbit like creature at her feet. A bright red ruby on its head shone at him.

"I'm supposed to be scared of that?" He laughed.

"Oh, it's your choice how to feel." Vivli shrugged. "But fear would be a good emotion. Carbuncle, searing light! Go!" Carbuncle ran and leapt up over the thug, jumping and turning into the air, unleashing a blast of crimson energy into his back. The thug yelped as he went down, crashing unconscious to the sandy floors. Vivli winced. "Carbuncle, you can be _mean_!" She exclaimed. Carbuncle seemed to smile as his ears twitched.

Zinkata stood calmly, which was no easy feat as the two remaining enraged galkas were charging him. He quickly drew his sword and sliced one up across the chest. Not a fatal wound, he smirked, but enough to incapacitate the gigantic thug. The second came in, throwing a punch, but Zinkata ducked under it, and came up behind, inserting his sword with casual precision into the back of the mighty galka, causing him to drop with a scream. Zinkata pulled the sword out. Neither were dead. He was a paladin after all, and he had to make sure the _Dragon's Eye _gang would face justice in the hands of the law, not at the hands of the Light Warriors.

Bootus on the other hand let out a disappointed sigh. He hadn't even got a chance to draw his scythe.

"So, care to explain this one?" He grinned to Vivli, who had already retreated into Zinkata's arms for a hug.

"Hey! I'll have you know I was doing a good job spying!" She exclaimed from the safety of the paladin's arms.

"We can see that by how captured you were." Voldos quipped with a cocky flick of his hair. Vivli rolled her eyes.

"I was!" She cried. "But then it went a bit wrong."

"What happened?" Zinkata asked, his voice tinged with more concern that he'd like. Mocking Vivli was one of the Light Warriors' favourite pastimes, but Zinkata and Vivli were, to put it simply, in love, and so when it came to her being in danger, he couldn't hide his feelings.

"Well, it turned out they had a pet at their camp." Vivli muttered, blushing brightly.

"A pet?" Bootus grinned, already beginning to figure out just what that pet was.

"Yes." Vivli's face was now a bright red. "And while they couldn't see me, they could hear me. And when I saw it, I-" She paused, too embarrassed to say it. "-I screamed. Quite loudly." She buried her face into Zinkata's chest to avoid Bootus's riotous laughter. Voldos's intellect struggled to keep up with the conversation.  
"Wait. What did she see?" Voldos asked to satisfy his curiosity.

"Well," Bootus sniggered, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. "Do you remember the sightings of the _Dragon's Eye _gang near the Bastok Mines?" Voldos nodded. "Well, I think they took a pet from there." Voldos was still slightly blank. There were a lot of monsters around those parts. "Big. Eight legged." Bootus explained bluntly, the humour gone. Voldos laughed.

"Oh, a _spider_." Vivli shuddered at the word.

"_Giant spider._" She pointed out to try and salvage some of her courage. Sadly, it was well known among the Light Warriors she had very little of that.

The clank of armour brought the attention of the group of four, collectively known to the entire of Vana'diel after their multiple heroics over the years, all under the title of the Light Warriors.

"Bastokian troops?" Bootus observed curiously.

"A little early, aren't they?" Zinkata smirked.

"They're getting efficient." Voldos admitted. "Urm, not as efficient as the elvaans, though, you understand?" He added in an after thought. The three other Light Warriors laughed lightly.

"What happened here?" Cried the leading galka, dressed in the armour of the Mythril Musketeers.

"We just apprehended the _Dragon's Eye _gang that have evaded _you _for so long." Vivli said happily. The galka looked fearsome, but she was still safely tucked in Zinkata's arms, and so felt she could say anything and remain utterly secure. The galka, Iron Eater, grinned.

"And do you know why they've evaded us for so long?" Iron Eater asked, looking down at the bodies. Voldos's heart jumped into his throat as he saw one of the fallen thugs was gripping a red link pearl, and a similar link pearl was in the right hand of Iron Eater. "How they've always snuck past the guards? How they've always escaped Bastok, unscathed?"

"You're _corrupt_." Gasped the elvaan ranger. Iron Eater let out a small laugh.

"Not my choice." He gestured at one of the thugs, arrow lodged in his head. "Meet the son of the President." He said simply. "Member of the notorious _Dragon's Eye _gang. He no longer listened to his father, but we have been under strict orders not to bring him in." The Light Warriors looked to each other in shock. Zinkata's grip on Vivli tightened. "Another criminal brought to justice by the legendary Light Warriors." Iron Eater's words were tinged with sarcasm, "You have murdered the President's son." He turned to the Light Warriors, who had looks of horror upon their face. "You are all hereby under arrest to await punishment at the hands of the President himself. You do not have to say anything, but anything you do say that you do not later rely upon in questioning may be used as evidence against you."

"Wait!" Zinkata cried. "On what charges? He was a bandit!"

"Vigilantism." Iron Eater stated. "Violence against citizens of Bastok, criminal or otherwise. I'm sorry, but I have no choice. The President will want you punished, and this _is _a crime. Bastok is not a free state, we have laws and law enforcement. Our citizens do _not _take it into their own hands and walk free." The collective Light Warriors' hearts sank in shock. Bootus's hand twitched, tempted to reach for his weapon and fight his way out, but it was not to be. They were heroes, doers of good, they couldn't fight the law.

The four heroes stood assembled outside the President's office, wincing as they heard him screaming at Iron Eater. It sounded as if he wanted them executed. Iron Eater was doing his best to defend them, or so it sounded. After all, they were the saviours of Vana'diel.

The wait was incredible, but finally Iron Eater emerged. He sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry." He began. It was a bad sign. Vivli retreated into Zinkata's arms. "I did all I could." Iron Eater sighed. "The President has come up with a punishment he feels is fair, considering your status as heroes. He has co-ordinated it via linkshell with all four nations' leaders. An agreement has been made to prevent you from ever making a similar mistake again."

"Mistake? We punished the guilty." Zinkata's voice was a low growl.

"That is the job of the authorities, not of vigilantes like you." Iron Eater responded calmly. "So, a solution was formed." Iron Eater paused. "The Light Warriors shall separate. Never to come together again on pain of death."

"WHAT?" Bootus bellowed. Voldos looked as if he had been shot. Vivli started sobbing against Zinkata who shut his eyes tightly, resisting the urge to reach for his sword.

"You shall be exiled to one of the four main cities, never to leave its borders." Iron Eater continued. "Bootus, you are to remain in Bastok. You shall be assigned to work in the mines until the time comes when you can find another profession more suiting your exile. Zinkata, you shall go to Windurst, acting as an emissary for Bastok as well as a bodyguard for the patrolling mages who need a warrior at their side. Voldos, you are to return to San d'Oria, where you shall be positioned training temple knights. Vivli, you shall go to Jeuno, where you shall be working in the local hospital, treating the injured that are brought in from Quifim." Iron Eater paused. "These assignments are not permanent, but more a form of income until you find jobs you prefer. You shall be assigned a small apartment in which to live in each city for your convenience." Iron Eater took a deep, drawn out, breath. "You must leave tomorrow, you have one last night together. I'm sorry it had to be this way."

"I bet you are." Growled Bootus.

"Sorry." Iron Eater turned and left, leaving only Vivli's quiet sobbing echoing around the room.

_**THREE YEARS LATER:**_

Olose stepped off the airship with a sigh. It would have been quicker to get Bootus first, but he wanted to find her. Jeuno was big, too big. He cursed to himself. He'd never find her. His enhanced senses might have helped had the city not been so full of people, but as it was, it was impossible to pick out any single person. He sighed again. He had a long search ahead of him.

It was quite late in the day when he decided to stop by the item shop. Everybody needed items from time to time, and so he decided to stop by and see if anybody had seen a mithra matching Vivli's description. For a split second, he thought he had gotten lucky. There was a girl outside, struggling over a heavy crate; a mithra. She must have worked in the shop, Olose assumed, trying to bring in the latest shipment. It was much too heavy for her. For a moment, just a moment, he thought it was her. Closer inspection revealed him to be wrong. She seemed slightly taller than Vivli, and had long silky hair, brushed and washed to perfection (now hanging down over her face as she struggled with the load), it was the same colour as Vivli's, ginger, maybe that was why he almost mistook her, but Vivli's was short, with little ponytails hanging down the front, completely unlike this girl's. She wore a long blue dress too, unlike the robes Vivli always wore. She seemed skinnier also, built even lighter than Vivli was. Olose sighed. Just for a moment, it had been her.

He tried not to look like he watching her, and walked inside. He decided he'd help her after he had asked in the item shop. It wasn't fair to leave her struggling like that. He wondered over to the counter, and waited in line, behind a particularly large and ugly galka. He tapped his foot as the galka was slowly being served.

"You said you'd have them in today." The big bear like man grumbled. The older woman behind the counter, a hume, sighed.

"Yes, and we will. The shipment just arrived." She explained. "Where is that girl?" She whispered under her breath. "I swear, if she needs help again, I'm gonna fire her." The woman grumbled, tensing her hands into fists. Olose sighed. Not the most pleasant atmosphere. The woman waited for a moment, impatiently tapping her hand. "This is ridiculous." She sighed, before leaning out across the counter. Olose winced as he realised she was going to scream a name. "_VIVLI!_" She bellowed. Olose's jaw hit the ground.

It _was _her!

The long haired mithran girl walked in, her footsteps clicking as she did. High heels. No wonder she looked taller. She pushed her hair back to reveal her familiar face. Vivli. She sure had changed in three years. She looked pretty, but none too healthy, her lighter build a sign of under eating, Olose figured.

"I'm sorry." She sighed to the angry looking woman behind the counter.

"Sorry? Like you were sorry the other three times?" The woman spat.

"Well, you could order smaller loads." Vivli suggested shyly.

"What did you just say?" Snapped the shopkeeper.

"Nothing." Vivli quietly replied. Olose was too stunned to say anything.

"Now look, my ad said I needed a strong hand to help around the shop. Which part of that didn't you understand?" Grumbled the shopkeeper.

"You hired me." Vivli muttered, too quiet to be audible to anybody but herself.

"What was that?" The shopkeeper asked. "Listen, if you can't do your job, then I'll have no choice but to lay you off. Can you?"

"I don't know." Vivli whimpered. The shopkeeper growled.

"Okay." The shopkeeper rubbed her temples. "Vivli, I'm very disappointed in you. I hope you know this. I have no choice but to-"

"Sorry! Fine! Fire me! I don't care!" Vivli snapped, half crying, before running out of the shop.

She didn't get far before something grasped her arm solidly. She tried to pull away before turning.

"Let go of me!" She snapped, sounding petrified. Olose just grinned as her eyes met his. Her mouth fell open in disbelief.

"Hi." Olose laughed.

"Hi." She managed to say in a shocked whisper. "You didn't see that back-" He nodded. She blushed with embarrassment.

"It's okay." He said gently. "Looks like you had every right to quit."

"She always gives me the hardest jobs, just like it's to shout at me when I can't do them." Vivli grumbled. "I'm glad she fired me." She paused. "Of course, now I'm jobless."

"What happened to you working at the hospital? That's what I heard you got assigned to do." Olose asked.

"I did for a bit. As a nurse, using my magic. Wasn't particularly good. Adventurers were always insulting my lack of fighting skill, or hitting on me. So I quit." She paused. "Not my brightest decision." She decided, looking back at the shop.

"Admit it, your calling was to be a white mage, not some nurse or a shop assistant." Olose smirked.

"Yes, but I can't do that anymore." Vivli grumbled. "Besides, when I was younger, I always wanted to be a nurse, rather than an adventurer. I'd get to help people with none of the danger, but life didn't quite work out like that."

"Never does, does it?" Olose laughed. Vivli yawned.

"I'm tired." She muttered.

"It's still pretty early." Olose gently mocked.

"I keep getting tired early." Vivli sighed, rubbing her eyes and exposing her skinny arms.

"Viv, you haven't been taking care of yourself on your own, have you?" Olose guessed. Vivli pulled her arms back down.

"Urm, it's not that I don't want too." Vivli explained. She sighed heavily. "I haven't been eating properly." She admitted. "I keep trying to eat, I just can't. I'm so exhausted and fed up, I hardly ever eat anymore." She grumbled. "I take good care of the rest of me though!" She smiled, playing with her hair. "Like it?" She asked with a smile.

"Suits you when it's long." Olose replied, smiling back. "Didn't recognise you at first."

"Because of the hair?" Vivli laughed.

"Because of everything." Olose explained. "You look so different."

"Not like you haven't seen me in a dress before." Vivli grumbled. "And what happened to your fabled sense of smell, shouldn't you have recognised me through that?"

"You can imagine how many things affect a scent. New shampoo, new perfume, suddenly you're unrecognisable. You smell totally different now." Vivli sniffed her arm curiously, and Olose laughed.

"So much for your fabled tracking abilities then." Vivli mocked. Olose smirked.

"Not gonna invite me back to your place then?"

"It's a bit of a mess." Vivli blushed again.  
"Hey, if you'd seen where I live, nothing would be a mess."

Olose stood in the doorway to Vivli's tiny room; her current home. To one side was a bed covered with a light blue duvet, and to the other, a desk with a large mirror over it, cluttered with various things Vivli obviously tried to keep her appearance up with, which was slightly unlike her. Olose looked over her, and decided she must be fairly self conscious of just how skinny and underweight she had become, and so was trying to draw attention away from it.

"There's a kitchen down the corridor, but everybody on this floor shares that. I don't go in there very often." She explained.

"You should." Olose stated.

"Did you just come here to lecture me?" She asked. "I already know I'm doing a lot wrong. I know I should eat more. I know I should get a decent job. Life is just so hard." She sighed, sitting down on the bed. "I feel so ill all the time. So weak. All this stress. Being on my own. It makes me barely have the willpower to keep living."

"Hence why you don't eat enough?" Olose guessed, concern resonating in his voice. Vivli nodded sheepishly.

"I guess so." She said, wrapping her arms around herself self consciously. "I'm not that bad, am I?" She asked, worried.

"No." Olose smiled. "Sure, you're skinny, but you always were, and your as cute as ever." Vivli laughed, brushing her long hair back with a hand.

"Thanks." She said. "I wonder what Zin would say if he saw me now." Olose paused, and a slight grin spread across his face.

"Wanna find out?" He offered.

Olose explained the situation to Vivli, the missing ship, the problem, the fact that he had been given a form of permission to reassemble them, even if it wasn't quite legal. Vivli listened, constantly rubbing her hands or brushing her hair with nervousness. He finally finished and just waited.

"I can't." She finally said. "I'm not a mage anymore. I haven't cast a good spell in two years. I don't even know where my staff is, I don't think I have my robes anymore, I don't have any travelling boots." She pointed down to her heels. "These things won't do." She sighed. "I'm just not an adventurer. Not anymore."

"Don't you want to see them again?" Olose asked. Vivli's ears twitched with anticipation.

"Of course I do." She answered quickly, before sighing. "But what's the point? I bet he doesn't even remember me."

"Zinkata?" Olose laughed. "You never moved on, did you? Why do you think he will of?"

"I'm not the luckiest girl alive, that's why." Vivli almost laughed. "Look, even if I did go with you, I'd be no use. Look at the state of me!" She muttered. "I was always weak and useless, imagine what I'm like now."

"Hey! You were never useless!" Olose cried. "You were one of the most powerful mages I've ever met."

"I could cast a couple of spells, but I couldn't handle myself at all. You know that." She sighed. "And that was when I was in a lot better condition than I am now."

"Vivli, you're a Light Warrior. A destined protector of Vana'diel. Something is stirring, something that is planning to send us all to war and death. Something is trying to destroy the very land itself. You're a hero! Be a hero again! Fight along side me! Fight along side Zinkata, fight along side Bootus, fight along side Voldos. As long as the Light Warriors are united nothing can harm this land." Olose extended his arm. "Take my hand Viv. Be a champion of Vana'diel again. We need you."

"No." Vivli stated. "I'm useless. It's pointless."

"Aw, come on. I didn't give that speech for no reason." Olose laughed. Vivli smiled slightly.

"Being a 'Light Warrior' is just a name." Vivli stated. "Any destiny I had I fulfilled."

"You're a hero!" Olose cried.

"I'm a shop assistant!" Vivli shot back. "Or at least I was, but I got fired for being too weak." She pointed out. "I was too weak to be a shop assistant. I can't help you save the world." Olose paused, and marched over to Vivli's wardrobe. "Hey! Don't go through my things!" She cried, rushing to his side. He opened the wardrobe and smiled. Multiple dresses, all soft colours, hung there. But that wasn't what he was smiling at. Hanging quite happily to the side, separated, was her old white mage gear. The white robe with the red triangles on, looking old, battered and worn, but still there. Her staff resting against the side, her trousers, pure white, hanging below the robe, and her well worn boots on the floor below it.

"Don't think you have your robes anymore, eh?" Olose laughed. Vivli smiled meekly.

"Well, I thought maybe one day, when I got stronger again-" Vivli began.

"Strength has nothing to do with this. You're a mage!" Olose pointed out. "Besides, you were never strong." He added jokingly. Vivli laughed. She picked up the robes off of him.

"These are heavier than I remember." She observed, comparing them to her light dress. "And the cloth is all itchy." She added.

"Now you're just looking for excuses." Olose grinned. Vivli paused, before smirking herself.

"Let me give it a wash, and I'm in." She smiled.

Two figures walked towards the airship dock in the dead of night.

"Can we really leave?" Vivli asked excitingly, fidgeting in her uncomfortable robes. They were itching her skin badly, and felt heavy, like they were weighing her down. She wasn't used to wearing them anymore. It didn't feel natural. And her staff on her back felt horribly awkward, and surprisingly weighty.

"Well, they know to watch for me because of my ties to you, and they know it's illegal for you to leave, so I'd imagine we'd run into some resistance."

"HALT!" Came a voice, and the clatter of armour as guards approached.

"Speak of the devil." Sighed Olose. "Hide somewhere." He ordered Vivli. She nodded, and hid behind a barrel.

"I know what you're planning to do." Came a voice from the leading guard.

"Do you now?" Olose turned.

"She's not leaving." The guard stated.

"You're mistaken. I'm leaving, and she's coming with me."

Once the guards were taken care of, Vivli and Olose quickly made their escape onto the airship.

Jeuno was soon just a memory, and Vivli looked wishfully to the stars, waiting desperately for her chance to see the others again.


	2. Ambush Attack

**Author's Note: This is the second chapter (unsurprisingly, since it comes, you know, second), and where the first real hints of the far more mature theme are. I apologise if it disturbs anybody, believe me, I feel bad enough writing it, and have had serious second thoughts about removing it, but the final decision was to leave it in to emphasise tragedy. I hope it works, but do deliver the warning it can be considered seriously disturbing.**

**I know it sounds arrogant of me to think that my own writing has that power, but this subject matter is very delicate (you'll notice I can't even bring myself to say it) and left me feeling very shaken after writing it, and I know from discussions on the inclusion of this theme I'm not alone in that feeling, so I hope you don't think I'm being arrogant, and if you are the type disturbed by very dark themes in stories (you may be able to guess what I'm referring to by now) then please don't read it. It's not _seen_, simply an event that has occurred, hence why it's not directly shocking (and something I could never write in a million years).**

**I'd love to hear feedback on how people react to this however; am I over-reacting? Am I naturally just more of a wuss than everybody else? Or is it even worse than I think, and should be removed completely from the story? If you have an opinion, please tell me either through review or e-mail, because it's very important to me. Thanks.**

**CHAPTER II**

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS EARLIER**_

The ocean was peaceful and quiet. Birds fluttered through the sky gently. The sea seemed a beautiful shade of blue as the rays of sun played across it.

The water broke as a huge ship crashed across it. The name "_Destiny II" _in clear view upon the side of the obviously aging warship. Stood proudly upon it's deck, holding onto one of the ropes running from the sails stood Olose Sampson, with a different face, different hair, a different body, but it was him none the less. He seemed to be grinning as the mighty ship made progress.

A male mithra looked confidently up from the wheel; Jeren, newest addition to Olose's crew who had proven himself time and again as the best person behind the wheel of any ship. A small tarutaru ran up onto the deck as the ship creaked; Phabrizoe, the expert on ships charged with maintaining the vessel and making sure it came to no harm. A black clad mithra walked across the deck and came up behind Jeren, placing her hand on his shoulder; Trevia, ninja assassin and the fighter of the crew, as well as Jeren's wife, as well as Olose's first mate, replacing their last who was lost. A smaller mithra skipped across the deck happily, looking out across the ocean, noticeably without a tail; Suse, taken in by Olose when she lost her tail by his hand, and had nowhere left to turn, now working the miscellaneous jobs on the ship.

Olose grinned happily at his assembled crew as the ship made it's progress before suddenly his smile vanished with a sharp creek. There was a sudden crash and something fell from the ship.

"What was that?" Olose suddenly asked in shock.

"That was the anchor!" Phabrizoe cried.

"Did the anchor just snap off the ship?" Olose yelled in disbelief.

"If that snags on the ocean floor at this speed, we're screwed!" Jeren observed. Olose ran across the deck towards the chain holding the anchor, now rapidly being pulled out. Suse peered over the side, observing that indeed the support that held the anchor on the side of the ship had fallen off.

Olose dove, grabbed the chain, and used all of his strength to stop the anchor's descent, crashing against the edge of the ship as he began to haul it back up.

"Bloody elvaans!" He grumbled as he did so, managing to overcome the anchor's huge weight due to his immortal strength. "They give us a ship, and here I was thinking it might be a good one."

"Just wasn't built to last, Cap'n." Phabrizoe smirked.

"I thought elvaans werrrre all wise and stuff." Suse muttered.

"More to sailin' than wisdom." Phabrizoe explained.

"Yeah, you have to have a ship that doesn't fall to pieces." Olose growled, struggling with the anchor.

"Shall I lower the sails?" Trevia asked, walking across the deck towards them. "Slow us down in case you drop it?"

"I'm not going to drop it!" Olose shot back. Unfortunately, as he turned to deliver this comment, the chain slipped from his hands and the anchor started tearing downwards through the water again. Trevia rose an eyebrow and smirked, and Suse giggled. "Often." He added, grabbing the chain again. Trevia came to his side, and started to help him with it.

"Hey, Captain, make sure my wife doesn't strain herself too hard!" Jeren cried out. "There's stuff we want to do later!"

"I did _not _need to know that!" Olose replied.

"Don't worry sweetie, I'm fine." She smiled, only taking the back of the chain as Olose bore the full brunt.

"Yeah, so just you concentrate on making sure the sails don't fall off or anything." Olose grumbled, pulling the anchor up finally and dumping it on the deck, before falling back panting.

"Oh, you wuss." Trevia mocked playfully.

"Hey! An anchor is _really _heavy." Olose pointed out.

"You can punch people through buildings!" Trevia countered. "It took a year to repair the damage you did to Tavnazia last time you had a fight there." Olose's face suddenly fell firm, and Trevia's heart skipped a beat. She had just brought _that _up. "Urm, sorry, Cap'n." She quickly added. "I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine." Olose cut her off, raising to his feet. "How far are we from port? I don't want anything else falling off."

"Just an hour or so now." Phabrizoe replied, also filling in for a navigator.  
"Land!" Suse cheerfully cried. "I like land!"

"I think we all will after this trip." Olose sighed.

"Us especially." Trevia said with a smile to Jeren. Olose rolled his eyes.

"With any luck she'll hold together 'til then." Olose sighed.

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS LATER**_

The peaceful sky was disturbed just as the ocean had been so many years ago as the mighty airship tore through the sky. Vivli shuddered upon deck.

"I hate these things." She stated, putting her hand to her mouth. Olose smiled.

"They're not _that _bad." He laughed.

"Easy for you to say!" Vivli replied. "Maybe not eating anything is a good thing." She added thoughtfully. "At least I can't get travel sick now." The ship shook slightly and Vivli quickly put her hand to her mouth. "Urm, I might have been wrong about that one." She blushed.

"You'll be fine." Olose laughed. Vivli sighed, and sat down on the deck, pulling her knees up to her chest.

"I hope so." She was trying to ignore the feeling she had that she had just turned a ghastly shade of green. Olose slumped down next to her. "Thanks for coming to get me." She said softly. "I can't wait to see Zinkata again."

"What about the others?" Olose asked.

"I can go another day without seeing Bootus." Vivli smiled sarcastically.

"I bet you miss him really." Olose mocked. Vivli sighed.

"Yeah." She admitted. "And Voldos!"

"He married Emilen, ya know?" Olose grinned.

"I know. He told me via linkshell before I lost-" Vivli stopped herself and decided to change the subject. "Urm, I can't believe Voldos got married."

"Yeah, it was pretty odd." Olose laughed. "Do you think he still tries to hit on every pretty girl he sees?"

"Hey! He never hit on me! You trying to say something about me?" Vivli protested with a giggle.

"Oh come on, you know you're pretty." Olose countered happily. Vivli blushed. "No, I don't think Emilen would let him near any other girls, let alone hit on them." Olose joked.

"You may have a point there." Vivli laughed before falling silent.

"So, what happened to your link pearl?" Olose asked after the pause. Vivli sighed heavily. She was worried that question was coming.

"Urm, I got mugged." She answered. Olose's face became distorted with concern. "Often." She added, it happened even more so.

"What do you mean? What happened?" Olose had to ask the further questions, despite the fact Vivli seemed to be on the verge of tears.

"There was a man who started praying on me every day after work in the hospital. He found out my shifts, knew when I finished. He took everything I had every night when I left." She stopped, and began sobbing. "I tried to fight him off, but he was too strong. After a week I went to the guards. They promised to escort me home after that." She paused, and let a tear run down her cheek. "He-" She paused, sobbing.

"It's okay." Olose hugged her. "You don't have to tell me the rest." He said gently.

"I want to." Vivli managed to say. "I have to tell somebody." She continued to cry.

"Tell somebody what? It got worse?" Olose asked fearfully, hugging her tightly. Vivli nodded, resting against him.

"He disappeared after the guards came, until one night, he-" She paused, barely able to say it. "-he was waiting for me in my home. He had found out where I lived. He took everything." She continued to cry. "And he-" She paused again. "He-" She apparently couldn't bring herself to say whatever happened next.

It didn't matter, as Olose's mood had already completely changed.

"VIVLI! GET DOWN!" He threw himself over her, pinning the tiny mithra beneath him. An arrow thudded into his back and Vivli shrieked in terror. He sprang up to see a figure stood on top of the cabin of the airship. Three more arrows whizzed in, hitting Olose in the chest and knocking him off his feet. The figure rose from one knee, the position he had been in to fire the arrows. He was dressed in gleaming full white armour and a full helmet, only a small slit giving him a field of vision. The armour was clearly divided into sections, a striking contrast being made visible by the black jumpsuit he wore beneath it. Some form of emblem was on top of the helmet, but it was too hard to make out what it was.

The figure drew a long white sword that shone brilliantly in the moonlight. He leapt from cabin and charged at an incredible speed, swinging downwards at Vivli, who was still on the floor, terrified. The sword never hit her, and instead clanged off another one. Olose held out one of his own blades, blocking the attacker. He pushed upwards and outwards, and the figure stumbled back. Olose quickly drew his second sword, and began to attack.

The attacker was driven back in surprise at Olose's speed and aggression (especially considering the fact that he had three arrows lodged in his chest and one in his back). Olose jumped and kicked the attacker to the ground, and he crashed down. The attacker drew a dagger and threw it, it hitting Olose's wrist and causing him to drop one of his swords. Olose ran in and swung down with his remaining blade. The attacker blocked it and kicked Olose from the ground before slowly raising to his feet. He spun the blade in one hand and ran in at Olose again. Olose deflected each of his blows and hit the attacker in the helmet with his free hand, leaving a slight dent. The attacker stumbled away, before launching himself at Olose. The two crashed to the ground and Olose threw his foe over his head, causing him to crash down on the other side of the airship.

The two combatants rose, the attacker pausing, confidently. Olose was certain he was smiling under his armour. Of course, Olose was grinning as well, despite the fact both of them were now unarmed. Vivli, who had spent most of the battle crouched in terror, had finally risen to her feet, and stood behind the attacker. She swung her staff, finding it awkward to wield, but knowing not to miss such an opportunity for a strike. The attacker sprang out one hand and grabbed the staff, much to Vivli's horror. He turned slowly.

"I'll deal with you soon enough kitty." He spoke in a low growl. Vivli gulped. "But for now, why don't you be a good girl and sit?" He kicked out powerfully, hitting Vivli in the stomach and sending her flying back, crashing against the edge of the airship. She collapsed completely, doubled over in pain. The attacker hurled her staff over the edge of the ship and turned back to Olose, only to see his fist fly in and hit him.

Olose had used the distraction to get close, and threw a punch full of anger and rage at what he had done to Vivli. The attacker crashed to the floor with a grunt. Olose kicked him and he flew back against the small rail against the edge of the airship. Olose charged in, striking him again to the face with such force the helmet flew off.

A figure looked up below, with tangled black hair, dark skin and a scar running down his left cheek. He spat blood with an angry growl. Olose grabbed the helmet, and used it to hit him in the face with, beating him over and over again. A blade sprang out of the attacker's gauntlet and he thrust it into Olose's chest. Olose stumbled back, grabbing the attacker and bringing him along. Olose dropped backwards, and kicked the assassin over his head with all of his strength. The assassin flew through the air, and sailed directly off the edge of the airship. Olose looked slightly surprised, forgetting how strong he was. He sighed and rose to his feet, the wound in his chest closing up. He removed the arrows, and those wounds too quickly healed. Olose thanked his own immortality, and quickly walked over to Vivli, who was still curled up, sobbing in pain.

"Are you alright?" He quickly asked. Vivli looked up at him weakly, and he lifted her up. She stood on her feet, but didn't have the strength to remain there, and Olose held her.

"I-" She began. "It hurts so much." She wept.

"It's okay." Olose said softly as she doubled over, holding her stomach where she had been kicked. "Can't you cure it?" Vivli nodded, and began casting a small cure spell. It took her much longer than normal, Olose observed, and was just a basic one once it had been cast. Olose rose an eyebrow.

"I can't cast properly." She explained, beginning to stand upright again, the pain was lifted, but it still ached. "I haven't cast spells in so long. I can't feel the magic anymore, like I used too. I wish I could have cast Holy to help you, but I simply couldn't." She dropped down, and Olose held her up. "I'm so useless." She sobbed.

"Stop saying that. It's beginning to get annoying." Olose joked.  
"Sorry." Although it seemed Vivli couldn't tell.

"Listen, you're not useless, just out of practice. Cast a few spells and it'll come flooding back to you." Olose told her with a confident smile.

"He only kicked me." She said in a daze. "And I couldn't stand up. I couldn't take the pain. Just a kick." She looked at him. "He shot you four times and stabbed you. I got a kick, and couldn't handle it."

"I _am _immortal Viv." Olose pointed out. "Besides, if you weren't so fragile you wouldn't be so cute." He added, not entirely sure whether he should have said it or not. Luckily for him, Vivli just giggled.

"Who was that guy?" She asked, sounding sweeter than normal. Olose had a feeling she was playing up the 'cute' factor now, after he had said that.

"I don't know. A bounty hunter I guess, just hired to attack. Distinctive armour, lots of weapons, he reminds me a lot of one. Used to know a hired assassin a lot like him. 'Course, she was better, figured out I was a werewolf so used silver weapons."

"How'd you beat her?" Vivli asked as Olose walked over to the helmet, still on the deck.

"Threw her out a window." Olose smirked. "Seemed like a simple solution." Olose picked up the helmet. "Hang on. I don't think he is a bounty hunter."

"What? Why?" Vivli ran over to him, placing her hands behind her back and going up on her tip toes to peer down at the helmet Olose held.

"Okay, stop with the cute thing now." Olose grinned. Vivli laughed as Olose passed her the helmet. "Look at the emblem." He instructed her as she took it. Vivli tried to, but instead just fell to the floor with the weight of the helmet. She blushed brightly, righted herself, and tried to lift it. She could only just get it off the deck however, and couldn't support it, so gave up. She blushed even brighter, clearly very embarrassed. "It's okay. Armour can be heavy." Olose shrugged, not actually having noticed the weight. Vivli peered up at him, and then down at the emblem. It was a fancy tribal style picture of a wolf's head, with two blades on either side. Vivli looked up at Olose again.

"What does it mean?" She asked, running her finger over the emblem. The metal was cold, and made her glad of her heavy but warm robes. They were high in the sky, and it was late at night, it could get very chilly at times. Olose bent down beside her. Vivli had wanted to hand him the helmet, but wanted to be spared the humiliation of trying to lift it again.

"It means we're in serious trouble." He stated.

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS EARLIER**_

Olose walked into the tavern, looking at the letter curiously.

"What is it, Cap'n?" Jeren asked casually.

"You got us another mission already?" Trevia added, her arm around Jeren.

"Maybe." Olose replied. "Take a look." He passed the letter to her, and she looked over it, Jeren peering at it too.

"It just says 'meet at noon by the docks'." Trevia said curiously. "Captain, either you have a secret admirer, or it's a trap."

"There's a symbol there too. A wolf with two swords." Jeren pointed out, his finger landing at the top corner of the note.

"Yeah, I know." Olose replied. "That's some kind of seal. A stamp denoting organisation. So that rules out a love letter." He flicked his hair back sarcastically. "Not that any woman could risk my charms, of course."

"Of course, Captain." Trevia laughed.

"Hey! Just remember she's married to me." Jeren shot in with fake jealousy, prompting the three to laugh. "So, what do you make of it?" He added after a pause.

"If it's a trap, then I'm willing to spring it. We're far out here, and the anchor still needs repairing, which requires money."

"Sir, you're married to one of the richest women in Tavnazia." Trevia pointed out.

"Yeah, but it's so emasculating to go running to her every time I need money." Olose replied. Trevia smiled and Jeren laughed. "So I figured I should go and see if it's a job. Besides, need something to do until the ship is repaired. Provided it doesn't fall to pieces in dock."

"You goin' alone?" Trevia asked.

"Well, the note was addressed to me, so I figured they just mean me. I don't want to do anything to annoy them if they are offering a job." Olose paused. "Now listen, if it is a trap and something happens to me-"

"-yes sir, I know, gather up the crew and get out of here." Trevia finished.

"What? No!" Olose cried. "You come and you rescue me!"

The three laughed again.

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS LATER**_

Vivli slept gently against Olose. Olose had dismissed her question about what the emblem meant, but was still awake, thinking about it. He couldn't tell her. After all, it might not be them. It might be possible that the emblem was just reused from ancient legends. But then, why target him? Yet, if they _were _targeting him, why not use silver weapons that would kill him?

Vivli snuggled closer to him, still asleep and apparently cold. He smiled and held her gently. His face suddenly fell. The assassin wasn't after him, he was after her! Vivli! Why attack Vivli? If they were who he thought they were, they had no connection to the Light Warriors. It made no sense. It was entirely possible it was who he thought it was, easily they could have survived, but nothing seemed to make sense. That attacker was a trained hume, not one of them. Why not send one of their own? Why give him the emblem on his armour when they could have kept their identity secret? Did they want Olose to know that they had survived? Why do something that cocky? And how did this all tie into the original _Destiny_, there was nothing of significance about that ship when it was sunk.

His brain ached with all the questions, but luckily he was snapped out of it when the airship landed with a thud. Vivli awoke, and looked up at him startled, unaware she had even fallen asleep, let alone ended up resting on his lap. She sat back and quickly pushed her long hair back, drawing a hairbrush from apparently nowhere and tidying it. Olose smiled. He was deeply concerned about what had happened to her back in Jeuno, but didn't want to bring it up again. Not yet.

"Are we here?" Vivli asked, before feeling rather stupid, realising there was nowhere else they could be.

"Yeah." Olose replied. "C'mon. Zinkata should be easy enough to find. He's an emissary for Bastok after all."

"They never let us have each other's addresses." Vivli said sadly. "So that we couldn't sneak out and visit each other. You have an idea where he is though?"

"Yeah, by the Bastokian Embassy of course. That's what I meant when I said he was an emissary." Olose rolled his eyes.

"Okay, don't patronise me." Vivli said with sarcastic anger, rising up on her tip toes to get closer to Olose's face.

"But it's _so _easy!" He mocked.

"Watch it, you're starting to sound like Bootus." Vivli warned. Olose laughed.

Sadly, Vivli's stamina didn't match up with her enthusiasm, and she was soon left panting from exhaustion. Olose dragged her along and the two walked through the doors to the embassy, and suddenly Vivli exploded in joy. Stood resting against the wall in an amazingly charming looking roughish style was Zinkata, apparently on some kind of guard duty. His hair was cut short, but well styled, and it just made him look more handsome, and he seemed to be smiling, despite not even noticing that she had entered. She rushed directly into his arms with a cheerful smile.

"ZIN!" She cried, overjoyed. Zinkata was completely caught off guard, not even recognising the mithra. He quickly set her down and looked in shock.

"Viv?" He managed to croak. "What are you doing here?" He asked in a shocked whisper. Vivli was obviously very disappointed, having expected some huge romantic response.

"I-" She paused, reconsidering her words. "Olose came. We're needed Zin. He's got some mission for us. _All _of us."

"Viv, it's been three years." Zinkata muttered in shock, his voice still above a whisper.

"I know!" Vivli beamed. "It's so good to see you again!" She threw her arms around him again. Zinkata broke away and suddenly her face fell. "What is it?" She asked, sounding very worried.

"It's been three years Viv." Zinkata said painfully. "You can't just walk in here and throw yourself at me." Vivli's eyes swelled up with tears. Zinkata eyed her with concern; she was looking anorexic and more fragile than ever, and he still felt like he had to protect her, like the little sister she had always been in the group. But he had to tell her somehow.

"Who's this?" Came a voice from the door. An attractive blonde hume in tight blue armour walked in with a strange look to Vivli.

"This is Vivli." Zinkata answered.

"Vivli?" The hume seemed utterly shocked. "The legendary Light Warrior? Zinkata has told me all about you." Vivli beamed a happy smile. "Not quite what I was expecting, though." Vivli wrapped her arms around her small and weak looking frame and suddenly felt very embarrassed.

"I'm just a white mage." She said softly. "Who are you?"

"Sorry. This is Tamantha." Zinkata pointed to her. "My fiancé."

Vivli's world suddenly collapsed around her.


	3. Find Your Way

**CHAPTER III**

Vivli bolted out of the room in a blur of orange hair. Zinkata blinked for a moment in shock.

"Crap." He sighed, having been worried that would be her reaction. Olose just gave him an annoyed stare before chasing after her.

Vivli gave an angry sob of frustration as she felt Olose grab her from behind, stopping her from running any further. She struggled uselessly, and gave up, sobbing into his chest. Olose sighed.

"Viv." He began, not really knowing what to say. "I'm sorry things worked out like this."

"He's all that kept me going!" She sobbed. "_All_! The only thing that made me bother to continue living! The thought I'd see him again one day! That we could be together again!" She buried her face against his jacket, and gave up, falling off her feet and to the ground, sobbing. "Why do I bother to go on? Everything bad happens to me." She wept. "What's the point?" She yelled angrily.

"Because you're a survivor. You have too." Olose told her. "You have to survive. Things will get better. It has been three years."

"And not a day passed without me thinking of him!" Vivli got to her feet and screamed at Olose in rage, tears streaming down her face. "You have no idea what that's like!" Olose paused and took a deep gulp.

"Vivli, I know _exactly _what that's like. I lost my wife, remember? I lost all of my friends. I'm immortal, they weren't." Olose told her. Vivli couldn't think of a comeback, so just ran. Olose grabbed her again, and again she started struggling uselessly.

"Viv! Come to your senses! Please!" He cried.

"You don't understand!" Vivli sobbed. "I was ready to give everything up! I was ready to die! To give up on life! He kept me going! And it was pointless! It was for nothing! He doesn't love me!" Olose suddenly dropped into deep thought.

"Viv. What happened to you?" He asked with a deadly seriousness. Vivli stopped struggling and looked up at him, her ginger hair flopping down her face. "It wasn't just being mugged and burgled, was it?" Olose began to figure. "Something happened to you. What? I can help-"

"How?" Vivli croaked. "You can't change the past. It happened."

"_What _happened?" Olose had his suspicions, but knew Vivli would have to face it sooner or later. Vivli couldn't say it. She just cried. She sobbed. She couldn't admit it in the way Olose wanted her too. She couldn't think about the memory. Olose sighed heavily. "Come here." He hugged her tightly. "It'll be fine Viv. We've still got a job to do."

Zinkata came running over to join them, alone.

"Viv!" He cried, looking at the sobbing mithra. "I'm so sorry. I would have told you, but you just disappeared from the linkshell."

"I lost it." Vivli said at a barely audible level.

"I guessed." Zinkata replied. "I'm sorry Viv, but it's been three years. I had to move on. I thought you would have too."

"I couldn't. I can't. I love you. And I thought you loved me." Vivli sobbed.

"I did! But things change! Times change!" Zinkata argued, getting more angry than he knew he should.

"Not for me!" Vivli shouted.

"That's because you live in an ideal world! You always have! You're so naïve! You think everything in this world works out for the best in the end!" Zinkata shot back. "You think there are heroes and villains and that's it. Good versus evil. That's life. Well, it's not. Bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people."

"I know that!" Vivli screamed. "Of course I know that! Don't you think bad things happen to me? But you were the thing I could rely on! The thing that kept me going!" She started marching away angrily, and Olose released her. She stormed off, managing only a few steps before bursting into tears and collapsing. Zinkata walked slowly over to her.

"I'm sorry, Viv. I love Tamantha now. I want to marry her. That's my decision to make. I'll always care about you, but I got over my feelings for you a long time ago. You need to do the same."

"I can't." Vivli sobbed. "I just can't. You don't know how important you were to me. You don't understand."

"Of course I understand. You were like that to me at first but-"

"No!" Vivli cut him off, turning up to him, her eyes bloodshot. "I was-" She paused, and croaked. "I needed you. I needed the thought of love still being out there. To keep me going. After what happened." Zinkata assumed she was referring to the Light Warriors being broken up, but didn't realise just how wrong he was.

"I know Viv. And I do love you. Just not in that way. I'm sorry." He said softly. Zinkata turned and walked away. Olose sighed and helped Vivli up. Vivli began to walk away.

"Viv?" Olose asked.

"I need time on my own." She managed to say, wiping the tears streaming down her face away with her sleeve. "I'm sorry. I'll meet you later." Olose nodded and let her leave. He decided to keep an eye on her in case she did anything stupid to get herself in trouble, but wouldn't let her know that he was watching her.

The first thing she did was retreat to the inn where Olose had dropped off their stuff. He waited outside as she disappeared within. Vivli marched over to the bag Olose had brought for her from Jeuno. She had packed plenty of things to bring with her, and then realised (much to her embarrassment) the bag was far too heavy for her to lift, so Olose had carried it and left it in the inn. She slipped out of her robes and pulled out a pastel blue dress, and put it on, changing her boots once more for her usual shoes. She was glad to be back in her normal, more comfortable, clothing. She had given up on the idea of adventuring. There was no point. She didn't even have her staff anymore. She had lost it in the battle with the assassin. At least some things never changed. She decided she didn't need a new one. She wasn't going to be fighting anymore. She almost laughed at the thought she was supposed to be a hero of legend. One of the four that had saved Vana'diel from total annihilation, more than once. She was pathetic. Even the newest of new mages training in Windurst seemed to look down on her as if she was the weakest thing in existence. And sometimes she felt like she was. She had needed Zinkata. She had needed him to make her feel like she had any worth. And he had abandoned her. Fallen in love with somebody else. She wasn't made at him. No. She was mad at the concept. Just the idea. Somebody else was there stealing his love away from her. He was supposed to love her! They were supposed to live happily ever after!

She broke down into tears on the bed before she paused, considering Zinkata's words. Maybe she really was naïve. She _wanted _everything to work out fine, of course, but who didn't? The worrying thing was that maybe somewhere in her heart she had always believed it would. And now she had to face the fact that it wouldn't. Things weren't going to sort themselves out. She'd lost him. Forever.

She suddenly felt very claustrophobic, sprang to her feet and left the room as quickly as her feet could carry her. It was good to get outside, to breath fresh air, to try and not focus on what she had lost. She headed towards the docks, the one place in Windurst where her mind could be truly free as she looked out across the ocean. From a safe distance of course; she hated water.

That was the plan at least, sadly it never came to fruition. She got to the docks, and saw two figures stood, watching the sun set. Sun set? It had been that long. The day had flown by like it was a blurry dream. Those two figures. Zinkata. And his fiancé. Vivli's replacement. They were both still in guard armour. Vivli's eyes focused on _her_. She was taller than Vivli, stronger, with long flowing blonde hair and much prettier looking. Same species too. There was no competition. Vivli's legs failed her and she collapsed.

What was worse was that there was nothing wrong with her. She couldn't hate her. She just couldn't. There was no reason to. She was a nice kind person it seemed; she had to be if Zinkata loved her. Tamantha. She played the name around in her head. She couldn't hate it. She couldn't hate her. She'd need a reason. Hate was too powerful to have without a reason. Vivli started sobbing to herself. It wasn't fair! He'd fallen in love with someone else, and she didn't even have a reason to hate her! She had to like her! What next? Was she going to have to be her friend?

She felt somebody take her hand and lift her to her feet. She opened her eyes to see Zinkata smiling warmly. For a moment, just a moment, she forgot everything and felt like throwing herself into his arms. Tamantha smiled from his side and Vivli let out another involuntary sob.

"Are you alright?" It was Tamantha who spoke first, not Zinkata.

"Yes." Vivli lied.

"Viv, look, I'm sorry." Zinkata tried to speak, but Tamantha signalled for him to be quiet.

"Zin, go talk to Olose. There must be a reason he visited." She advised. "I want to talk to Vivli."

"Oh, fantastic." The little mithra grumbled.

"Come on, I just want to be helpful." Tamantha told her.

"That makes things worse." Vivli managed to say.

"What? Why?" Tamantha asked.

"I want to hate you. You took Zinkata from me. But I can't. You've done nothing wrong. And now you're being kind to me. I can't hate you. I can't do anything with all the anger and jealousy I'm feeling. It would be so easy to shout at you and yell about it, but it's not fair to do that! You've done nothing wrong so I can't. It's not fair!" Vivli started sobbing again.

"I know how you feel, Vivli." Tamantha told her. "I mean, don't you think it's easy for me to hate you?" Suddenly Vivli looked up in surprise. "I mean, all I know is that Zinkata used to love you deeply and you still love him. It's easy for me to see you as a threat. It's easy for me to want you to be gone. It's a case of controlling those emotions." Vivli sighed heavily as Tamantha spoke.

"I can't." She wept. "I can't control them. I'm not strong enough!"

"It's not going to be easy, you need to learn." Tamantha explained.  
"That's easy for you to say! You have him to hold you and love you and protect you! I don't!" Vivli shouted, and Tamantha just sighed, releasing she was unleashing all of those emotions that she had spoke about.

"Well maybe you should look at what you do have!" Tamantha said much louder than she would have liked; it sounded like she was shouting.

"And what's that?" Vivli sobbed. "What do I possibly have anymore? I've lost everything!"

"You have friends." Tamantha told her. "As much as I hate to say it, Zinkata still cares about you. A lot. Olose will do anything to protect you. And the other Light Warriors are out there." Vivli looked up tearfully at the taller woman.

"It's not the same." She wept.  
"It's enough. You just need to learn that it is." Tamantha explained. She then sighed. "If you two are here, I know you're taking Zinkata away on a mission. It's the only explanation. I have to let him go, my duty is here as a guard to the emissary. If I let Zinkata go with you, how do you think I feel?" Tamantha paused. "Letting my fiancé explore the world with his ex-girlfriend who I know still has feelings for him? I have to let that happen. And I can. You need to learn to have the same control." Vivli sighed heavily, and began crying again. She couldn't stop. Tamantha looked on sadly, and gave her a sisterly hug.

Zinkata paced for a moment, after Olose had explained the problem and told the story of everything that had happened up to that point.

"Why did you choose us?" Zinkata inquired.

"An excuse to reunite you at first." Olose admitted. "But it seems that the organisation behind this act sent an assassin, provided they're who I think they are. If that's so, they fear the Light Warriors. Not me. The assassin was aiming for Vivli. I think they fear the champions of Vana'diel being united. It's possible they even had a hand in manipulating events to separate you."

"Do you have any idea who this organisation is? And what they have to gain through initiating a war?"

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS EARLIER**_

Olose turned slowly as he sensed another presence approach. A hume woman stood before him, with long brown hair and dark dangerous looking brown eyes. Her body seemed well toned and her face was plain. She wore simple brown clothes, nothing ornate. Behind her stood a mountain of a man; a hume that looked more like a galka, the same size and build, and completely bald, with dead looking grey eyes.

"Olose Sampson?" She inquired.

"What do you know. My crew was right. A secret admirer." Olose quipped. "Although I'm not so sure about the other guy."

"He's called Bear. He doesn't say much, but he does his job well." The woman replied.

"Bear eh? I can see that." Olose turned to the woman, and looked directly at her. "And what is his job?"

"To find and break people I don't like." She replied venomously.

"Oh." Olose managed to say. "And you are?"

"Leanne." There was a long pause.

"I meant in relation to wanting to see me." Olose explained. Leanne smiled.  
"I know." She shot.

"So, why send the letter? Why request my presence?" Olose inquired.

"I know what you are, Olose Sampson." Leanne told him. "And I'm here to make you a once in a lifetime offer." Olose paused.  
"Great. Advertisers." Olose grumbled sarcastically. Leanne shot him an angry look.  
"Our offer is not to be mocked, Olose." She warned him. "The entire future of Vana'diel is about to be decided, and you can either participate, or die."

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS LATER**_

"No, I have no idea who they are." Olose said after a long thought. "There are many possibilities, but none really worth considering."

"We need to find out." Zinkata decided. "And stop them before they do something serious."

"Of course. That's why I'm here." Olose smiled. "We need to find Bootus and Voldos and then get out into the ocean, explore the area. We'll follow any leads from here." Olose paused. "Of course, this means you and Viv will be on an adventure again. You alright with that?"

"It's her I'm worried about." Zinkata shot.

"Me too." Olose grumbled.

"Give me a day to prepare, I need time off from my work at the emissary, and want to do something for Tamantha before I leave."

"Understandable." Olose nodded. "Viv'll probably need that time to come to her senses anyway." Zinkata smiled in agreement.

Vivli had left Tamantha and was stood watching the airship depart. Her mind was racing. Old memories flooded through her brain.

_That final battle so long ago. She had been so scared. They were fighting the lord of the demons, evil in its ultimate form. They stood no chance. But they fought. They had too. The fate of Vana'diel and the entire future of everything hung in the balance. Nothing could have stopped them. They fought and they won because they had too. After that, every time danger rose up they were there to fight it. They were the saviours and protectors of Vana'diel. She couldn't let any harm to come to it. It was her job to protect it!_

She looked at her own skinny arms and sighed. Some protector. She couldn't do anything. She could barely cast spells, she didn't have a weapon, she was useless. Any adventurer in any city could do her job better than her. Olose's words rang through her mind.

"_You're a Light Warrior. A destined protector of Vana'diel."_

Destiny? Was this truly her destiny? To lose everything she held dear? And to have _that _happen to her?

She couldn't think about it. Her skin began to crawl and she began to cry at the memory. She found herself running, despite the fact there was nothing to run from and nowhere to go to. She eventually managed to bring herself to a stop, sobbing. She found herself screaming aloud at herself, hating herself for being so pathetic. She had no idea what she was screaming. Just words. Rage. Anger. She had to let it out. She screamed as loudly as her tiny lungs would allow her, sobbing in the middle of the street.

Some time later a very sombre looking mithra approached Olose. Her shoulders and arms hung loosely and her face showed no expression.

"Viv?" Olose asked.

"Let's go." She replied, almost in a daze. Olose rose an eyebrow, worried.

"Are you okay?" He asked quickly, and she just turned to look at him, making no gesture. Olose frowned. "We'll be leaving in the morning. You alright until then?" Vivli said nothing, but instead just turned and walked away. Olose frowned for a second time.


	4. Loss Of Me

**Author's Notes: Sorry for the long delay in an update; I visited home this weekend and haven't been at a computer. This chapter I'm not sure about, it's full of flashbacks that break everything up in a way that may be annoying to people reading, but I need to tell both stories, and I want to do it switching between them, so hopefully it works. The erratic way they're written almost reflects Vivli's mind anyway, for a bit of symbolism.**

**Other thing I did this chapter was finally explore Arcadia's (from Twilight of the Immortal) character a bit more, because she can be quite easy to dislike, and I wanted to try and get her across more as a person with good qualities. I hope that worked out!**

**CHAPTER IV**

The engines of the airship created their usual dull thud as it soared through the air, Olose slumped looking out over the land beneath him. Vivli was looking down in a similar way some distance away, clearly wanting to be on her own. It took her a few moments before she marched into the hold beneath the ship. Olose smirked slightly, she must have been feeling airsick, he assumed.

Despite the smirk he was incredibly worried about her; he no longer wanted her to be on the journey, knowing she wasn't up to it, but couldn't leave her alone. He didn't want to know what she might do if left with nobody around, so vowed to stay at her side.

With that, he sighed and began walking down into the hold after her.

He smiled to himself as he saw her huddled in the corner, sleeping peacefully. He guessed that she hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, and in her current physical state had simply become exhausted. He decided to leave her in peace and headed back up to the top deck.

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS EARLIER**_

Lady Arcadia Sampson examined herself in the mirror, and let out a satisfied smile. She was dressed extremely elegantly, her hair worn up in a style that had taken two servants half an hour to arrange, her face thickly coated in make-up, her lips shining red, long diamond earrings hanging from her ears and a diamond necklace around her neck, an insanely expensive and beautiful looking black evening gown clung to her body and bright red finger nails stood out against her pale skin.

She stood with a bit of a sigh. It felt a bit pointless. There was no special occasion; Arcadia always dressed this way, as the daughter of a powerful lord, she was one of the richest people in Tavnazia, and it often showed through her appearance. Despite this, she knew that it seemed pointless, especially when Olose, her husband, wasn't around.

Olose had met her when he rescued her, after she got into trouble travelling to San d'Oria when she was quite young. The two had fallen in love despite the dangers they encountered and married, despite being worlds apart. Olose had opened Arcadia's eyes to the world, and now she couldn't help but feel she was being pointlessly vain and extravagant, a feeling she never used to have. That wasn't to say she didn't like it, she _loved _it, being able to see herself looking so dressed up and beautiful in the mirror (so she guessed she really was vain), but it did feel pointless. Like she was somehow neglecting the rest of the world and just living her own little rich life.

She sighed again and did what she would always do when she felt like this; she went for a walk around the city. She always somehow felt that if she saw the rest of the city, how everybody else lived, she was at least acknowledging it. It made her feel better, even if she knew it was really superficial.

Arcadia didn't get far, stopping at _that _street. The street where she had lost the most precious thing in the world to her. Her daughter. She hadn't seen it happen, her daughter had been kidnapped at only a week old by an old enemy of Olose. There the villain killed her daughter, provoking Olose into battle.

The resulting duel had almost destroyed the city they fought with such fury, But it wouldn't bring back her daughter. She was dead. Killed that night never to return.

Arcadia struggled to hold back the tears at those memories. They surfaced all the time, she could never quite get over them. Perhaps it was that which led to her recent feelings of pointlessness in her life; what was the point in living when her daughter was dead?

She turned around with a sharp click of her stiletto heels, unable to focus any longer. She gulped and decided to head back to her manor. She simply couldn't face it any more. She wanted privacy. Privacy to be with her thoughts and memories.

That's when she spotted it.

Black smoke, pouring from her home.

It was on fire.

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS LATER**_

Vivli awoke from her nightmares with a sob. She pulled her legs up tighter to her, but it didn't help. She was shaking, but wasn't cold. She was shaking with the memory. She looked down over her own body, feeling so small and weak that she could barely stand her own existence. She couldn't stop anything. She couldn't help anything. She felt like she bounced between events, completely unable to alter them, just an endless victim.

She rose and walked up the stairs out onto the deck, and looked at the world below. Everything looked so beautiful from the airship. So peaceful. The world working in harmony. And she was the insignificant speck, simply abused by it.

She climbed up onto the balcony to look down. Everything that had happened to her, every hardship she had been through; she now knew, looking down on the world, she was nothing, not important at all. She could suffer for the rest of time and still be but a dot on the face of the world. And she wouldn't. She couldn't. She just couldn't face it anymore. No more hardships. No more pain. She wouldn't lose everything. Not again.

Everything would lose her.

Olose walked down the steps into the cabin, planning to wake Vivli; he knew they would be landing soon. As soon as he saw she wasn't there alarm bells began ringing in his head. He knew what she was doing. Why she had seemed so apathetic before.

He bolted onto the deck as fast as he could.

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS EARLIER**_

"Make your offer then." Olose shrugged. "What are you planning?"

"Vana'diel once oppressed our people, Olose. You know this." Leanne explained, pacing.

"Our people?" Olose repeated.

"Oh, come now, Olose, stop pretending." Leanne laughed. "The Temple Knights tried to wipe us out, they tried to commit mass _genocide_. And as far as Vana'diel is concerned they succeeded." Olose began to look at her, reading her scent, her stance, who she truly was. "Indeed, some of our kin were even blinded as to our survival. You, for example." He looked up into her eyes slowly in complete astonishment.

"You're werewolves, aren't you?" Olose guessed in shock.

"We are immortals, yes." Leanne replied. "Surprised?"

"I'm supposed to be the last." Olose growled.

"Your tribe may have been destroyed Olose, but many of us survived." Leanne casually shrugged. "And we're offering a chance. _Join _us! We were destined to rule this world. The pathetic mortals can not stand against us. They cannot stop us. Vana'diel will be ours, Olose, you can be sure of that."

"That's it? You want to know if I'll help you _take over the world_? You're insane!" Olose laughed. "You obviously don't know me very well."

"Olose Sampson. Captain of the ship _Destiny II_, crewed by four despite it's impressive size. Lost his first mate after she turned on him and he was forced to fight her. Married to Lady Arcadia Sampson. Father of Talia Sampson, who was-"

"Yes. Thank you. I think you've proven your point." Olose growled. "So you know who I am. Why try to recruit me then?"

"We're not. It's an offer there just in case." Leanne explained.  
"Then what are you trying to do?" Olose asked.

"Kill you." She stated, and Bear launched himself at Olose with tremendous speed.

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS LATER**_

Vivli let go and let herself fall, closing her eyes peacefully. It was over. No more worrying. No more pain. She was free. She was free, forever.

She felt somebody grab her around the waist and pull her back at the last moment. She shrieked in surprise as Olose held her back.

"Viv?" He screamed. "What the hell are you doing?" Vivli struggled to get out of his grasp, but he was much too strong. Olose pinned her to the floor to stop her from moving. "Viv! Listen to me!" But Vivli could not. Fear was already running rampant through her mind.

She was pinned down by a much stronger and fearsome looking male. He was saying something, but she couldn't hear what. Memories crashed back into her brain. She started screaming uncontrollably for help. She had to get away. She had to get free. It was making her rememeber; the feeling; the sensation. She screamed and sobbed, struggling as hard as she could to escape Olose's steel grip.

As soon as the cries for help came Olose loosened his hold and let her go. Vivli instantly ran for the edge again, her mind telling her she was just running away, just escaping. Olose pulled her back again and held her down, causing her to kick, scream and cry more. People came rushing over, including Zinkata, at first to Vivli's aid. Olose shot them a glance.

"Make sure she doesn't reach the edge!" He cried, ordering them. "She's trying to kill herself." The crowd reacted in shock, and Zinkata rushed to Vivli's side.

"Vivli! No! What are you doing?" He asked quickly. Olose released her, this time much more wisely, and she sprang into Zinkata's arms, her broken mind seeing him as what she longed for. She fell silent as soon as he put his arms around her, holding her safely. Olose stood and waved the crowd back.

"Come on! Give her some room!" He snapped. They did so, and Olose sighed heavily. "Are things really this bad for her?" He asked in a whisper, talking to nobody in particular.

A slight purr came from Vivli, startling Olose. He looked over at her, only to notice she had fallen solidly to sleep against Zinkata. Zinkata rose an eyebrow. Olose shrugged, and let out a heavy sigh.

"Let's let her sleep." Zinkata decided.

"Agreed." Olose said solemnly. "From now on, one of us keeps an eye on her at all times."

"What was all that about?" Zinkata asked, looking down at Vivli with concern.

"Can't you figure it out?" Olose sighed. Zinkata clenched his fists together angrily.

"I swear to Altana, I will find who did this to her and-"

"Vivli isn't one who wants people to take revenge. She hates killing, death and fighting. You'll be doing more harm than good." Olose reminded him. Zinkata stood, holding Vivli almost like she was a baby.

"What do you want me to do? Stand by while I know what this bastard did to her?" Vivli didn't wake up, despite Zinkata's raised voice.  
"We have no idea who he is, where he lives, or what happened to him." Olose pointed out. "And even if we did, we have a job to do!" Zinkata sighed, as if letting out all of his anger.

"I know. I just can't stand the thought of anybody hurting her." He managed to say.  
"Except yourself, it seems." Olose shot at him.

"Hey! That's not my fault! It's not my fault! I don't control feelings! I fell in love with somebody else! That's not fair!" He started to yell at Olose. Olose smirked slightly.

"Doesn't sound like you believe that." He pointed out, turning and walking away.

Zinkata was left in silence, looking down at Vivli with wide eyes.

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS EARLIER**_

"Oh, you did not just do that." Olose growled, climbing out of the rubble of stone his body had formed as it smashed into the cliff side. Bear seemed to smirk slightly. Olose ran at him and threw a punch. The kind of punch that had shattered buildings. His fist smashed against Bear's mighty chest, and Bear stood solid. Olose's eyes went wide. "This is going to get worse before it gets better." He managed to say as Bear reached down and grabbed his arm, spinning it around and snapping it behind him. Olose grunted as his arm broke and he was flung to the floor. Bear drove his fist into Olose's chin and Olose rocketed up into the air, crashing down again and forming a small crater. Any other man would be dead, but Olose just sprang back at Bear with an angry growl. Bear smacked Olose out of the air and he crashed down again, skiing along the ground to Leanne's feet.

Bear got to him before he could strike at either of them and threw Olose over his head. Olose crashed down again only to see the mountain of a man approaching him. Olose grabbed a huge stone from the ground and hurled it at him. Bear took the hit to the face and stumbled back. Olose ran in and leapt into a powerful flying kick, hitting Bear and causing him to stumble back again. Olose started to strike him in the face, time and time again, trying to deliver a punch that would finally shatter his skull and finish him off. Before it came he was snatched out of the air, and Bear held him in his powerful hand by the neck. He began to apply pressure; in mere moments Olose's neck would snap and he would be dead.

"Stop!" Came a sharp order, and the pressure released. "Very impressive Olose." Leanne grinned. "You lasted longer than most. Consider this your reward." She approached Olose, who was still dangling, held firmly by the neck by the mighty Bear. She looped a pendant around Olose's neck and Bear released him. Olose screamed in agony. Leanne removed the gloves Olose had only just noticed she was wearing. She grinned again. "Made of the purest silver." She smiled. Smoke rose from Olose's body as the drawback of his curse came true. He couldn't think. He was overwhelmed by pain. Leanne chuckled and turned to Bear. "Feed him to _it_, if he survives, we'll know he's the one we've been looking for." Bear almost made an audible grunt as he nodded, but not quite. He lifted the screaming Olose up and threw him over his shoulder, before he walked off in the direction of an unknown lair.

Arcadia covered her mouth in shock. Her home, her mansion, and all of her possessions were in flames. The fire brigade (consisting of skilled black mages using water spells) had arrived, but it was too late. Arcadia ran to one of her nearest servants as quickly as she could manage.

"Where is everybody? Are they safe?" She quickly asked, panting. The servant turned around to her slowly.  
"Milady, your parents are safe. They were out of town on business." She answered. Arcadia grumbled to herself; she knew this, she was worried about everybody else.

"Yes! But the others! The servants, the cook, did they make it?" She desperately questioned.

"Most of us, yes. The fire started in your room, milady, and Tara was in there at the time. She hasn't been seen since." Arcadia's eyes widened in horror.

"_My room? But there is nothing flammable in there._" She said to herself in a whisper. "Wait! Tara's still in there?" She looked at the flaming building and sighed. "Oh, Olose, why are you never around when I need you?" She muttered, before picking up her dress to make for easier running and heading towards the building.

"Milady! What are you doing?" Cried the servant behind her.

"Saving a friend!" Arcadia replied as she ducked into the flaming mansion.

**Author's Notes:I may change Vivli's suicide scene; I'm very worried currently that it's not 100 convincing, and if it doesn't convince the reader that she'll try to kill herself, then it fails as a scene. If it does work, then I'll leave it, but I'm not sure.**


	5. You're Not Alone

**Author's Note: Sorry this has taken so long to update. Double essays, family visits, trips home, it's all piled up and I've really struggled to get this done. Once a week seems to be a realistic estimate for chapter updates though.**

**Some people may have noticed each chapter now has a name in the sidebar. I'm using a particular convention for this because I'm rubbish at naming. I wonder if anybody will spot what it is!**

**Oh, and this chapter features Razio, Neo Xain's character, in a short scene. Thanks for letting me use him! Sadly, he's written very poorly by me, I couldn't pull him off well, but he does serve a good function. If you're too disappointed with how I handled him, I can always change the name for you!**

**CHAPTER V**

"I can't believe you tried to do that." Came a voice.

"Bootus?" Vivli whimpered.

"Seriously, of all the cowardly things you've done, you go and do that."

"It's not cowardly!" Vivli shouted at the galka, stamping her foot as she did so. "I just wanted to be free."

"Free? Did you think about who you were hurting?" The galka seemed to flicker, as though he wasn't quite there.

"Who? Nobody cares about me." Vivli sobbed, looking into the black void surrounding her.

"Don't be stupid." Came the reply. "We care about you. More than you can know. We'd do anything to protect you, Viv."

"Then why weren't you there for me?" Vivli screamed. "Why weren't you there when I needed you the most?" Her screams fell on deaf ears. The galka had disappeared. Vivli shook slightly, wrapping her hands around herself.

"It wasn't their choice, Viv. They wanted to be there for you."

"Olose?" Vivli turned around to see him walking around her, almost floating.

"They love you Viv. I love you. Don't turn on them. Don't turn away from them. They want to help you and protect you. They'd do anything to change what happened to you."

"Zin doesn't want to-"

"Zin would sacrifice anything for you. Just because he loves another woman doesn't mean he doesn't care about you."  
"Seems that way to me!" Vivli sobbed. She didn't get a reply. Olose was gone. "See? You can't answer me, can you?"

"Why are you so afraid of admitting he loves you?" Came another voice. Vivli turned slowly around. Her eyes turned wide.

"Fiorel?" She exclaimed.

"You hadn't forgotten about me, had you, sis?" He smiled. "I know you have a real family now, but that's no excuse." Vivli was at a loss for words.

"No. No." She stuttered. "Why are _you_ here?"

"Because I, like everybody else you see, care about you." He told her. "When you wake up, I can only hope you realise it." He walked towards her, passed through her, and turned around behind her. Vivli spun around to follow his path. "It's easier to hate Zinkata, isn't it? It's much easier if he doesn't care about you. You can turn around and walk away and leave him, and not have to worry about him being a friend, but knowing that his heart belongs to somebody else." Vivli tried to reply, but couldn't. "But he cares about you. A lot. He wants to protect you. Love you. And you're not letting him. He's horrified by what you just tried to do. He'll do anything to keep you safe. He's even considering leaving her so you don't try again. Losing everything his heart desires for just to protect you. That's how much he cares."

"How could you know that?" Vivli croaks. Fiorel faded before he could reply. Vivli burst into uncontrollable tears.

"Oh come on, you won't impress a guy like that." Voldos grinned. "You know, I am the expert, right?" Vivli almost smiled.

"Voldos." She laughed, turning to the elvaan. "We're looking for you, you know."

"Nice to know." He replied, shimmering slightly. "Shame this is just a dream."

"Just a dream?" Vivli asked.

"Well, close to one. 'Course it's not real. Bootus admitted he cared about you." This time Vivli managed to giggle. "Viv, we'll do anything for you. We'll help you. You don't have to face this alone."

"You can't change things." Vivli became solemn and sad again.

"We can't change the past Viv, but we can help you with the future." Voldos smiled.  
"That's unusually wise, coming from you." Vivli managed a smirk.

"Like I said, this isn't real." Voldos laughed as he disappeared. Vivli turned in the black void, sighing heavily.

"Hiya, Viv." Zinkata said softly. Vivli turned, her hands clenched.

"It's you." Vivli growled.

"And me." Tamantha's voice came from behind. She walked directly through Vivli and hugged Zinkata.

"Why show this to me?" Vivli snapped. "I don't want to see you two together!"

"But you need to." Tamantha told her. Vivli's eyes widened. "You need to accept us. Then he can accept you." Zinkata extended his arms. Vivli paused.

"You want me to hug you while you stay with her? You can't care for me!" Vivli cried at Zinkata.

"I care about you Viv. I love you." Zinkata told her. "Just not in the way you're thinking of. My heart may belong to Tammy, but I shall _always _protect you. You need to accept this Viv. You need to step into my arms."

"I can't! Not while she's there!" Vivli snapped, pointing sharply at Tamantha.

"But that's what you need to accept. She'll always be there, but you can be too. I still care about you." Vivli whimpered, and ran into Zinkata's arms, longing for his embrace.

She suddenly woke up, in his arms.

"Oh good, you're awake." Zinkata smiled, before lowering her down. He was carrying her. Vivli blinked groggily, memories of the dream quickly fading, but the feeling remaining. All of her friends banding together on her behalf. And she'd argued with each one of them. She suddenly had an urge to go back; back into the dream world and apologise. Say she was sorry.

She rubbed her eyes and came to her senses more.

"Urr, where are we?" She managed to say.

"San d'Oria. I didn't want to wake you so carried you." Zinkata explained. Vivli turned to Olose, yawning. Olose frowned at her.

"Vivli. Are you okay now?" He asked worryingly.

"Yes." Vivli nodded. "I'm sorry." She sighed. "I just- I don't know how I'm supposed to face it anymore."

She sighed to herself, ignoring the other's replies. Her dream had shown her. She needed to rely upon them. She _did _know how to face it, and it wasn't alone. Things had gotten so bad for her because she was alone. They hadn't been there to protect her. They couldn't have been. Now they were there again and that's who she needed, it was that simple.

Except it wasn't. Because _he _wasn't hers anymore.

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS EARLIER**_

Arcadia ran up the huge steps in the manor, already breathless. She gasped for air, but got nothing, just being forced to choke. Her body was feeling weak and shaky, craving oxygen. She couldn't see. She could barely think. She had to get out. She wasn't going to be able to save anybody now. She just had to escape.

Where was the nearest window? Could she even figure it out in this state? Her legs collapsed and she fell down. She tried to stand up, but she needed oxygen. There was none. She couldn't see. Her eyes stung at the spoke and tears ran down her face.

"It was a noble effort." Came a deep and sinister voice. She became aware of a presence; somebody kneeling down next to her. "It was awfully kind of you to try and save her. Maybe there's more to you than meets the eye. I don't think I'll kill you right away." He seemed to continue speaking, but Arcadia blacked out before she could hear any more words.

Olose slowly opened his eyes and groaned. The silver medallion was gone, but the pain in his chest remained. He was hanging by chains, holding him against what appeared to be a cave wall. He groaned, and then decided to focus on the chains. He tugged one. He grinned. He yanked them both with all of his immortal strength and they broke away, causing him to fall down.

Unfortunately, he hadn't planned just how far he would fall. It turned out the cave was more of a chute, and he was plummeting down it.

He rolled out into a huge chasm, only to hear chanting. He looked up to see the very roof of the massive cave was replaced by metal bars, and a crowd was watching him. He suddenly heard a roar and turned to find himself facing a gigantic monster, huge and reptilian, brown with a stumpy face and beady black eyes, massive claws so big it looked like it struggled to hold them up and a gigantic powerful tail. Olose had never seen anything like it before. He just allowed himself to sigh.

"This has not been my best day ever." He decided to comment.

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS LATER**_

Vivli sat around in the tavern, alone. She knew she needed the others to help her, but she wanted time alone to think. It hadn't been easy being left alone. They wanted to stay with her. In the end, they had agreed, simply because they had to find Voldos but knew she needed a break. She had spotted them talking to one of the guards by the door however, so that she couldn't leave. She sighed. She kind of appreciated it. It showed they did care.

A band had been playing fairly fun music on the stage, helping to lift her spirits somewhat. She loved it when there were live performances in the taverns; it seemed to really help the atmosphere. The lead bard began to strum his instrument, and looked out to the crowd.

"One day, I found myself thinking," He began to speak. "Just why do we need heroes?" Vivli almost smirked. If there was one thing she hated, it was when they sang songs she felt applied to her. "Well, let me tell you, it's pretty simple."

He suddenly slammed down on the instrument and the entire band kicked off, making Vivli jump a little.

_A hero's what you're chasing, baby,_

_A hero's what I'm aiming to be,_

_A hero's what you're seeking, baby,_

_So come on home with me!_

_You're looking for a hero,_

_And it's what I'm aiming to be,_

_You need a hero,_

_And it's my destiny,_

_You and me, baby, we need each other,_

_You and me, baby, we rock together!_

_You and me, baby, we need each other,_

_You and me, baby, we rock together!_

_A hero's what you're looking for,_

_A hero's what you've got,_

_Learn to look no further, baby,_

_I'm a hero to the dot._

_You're looking for a hero,_

_And it's what I'm aiming to be,_

_You need a hero,_

_And it's my destiny,_

_You and me, baby, we need each other,_

_You and me, baby, we rock together!_

_You and me, baby, we need each other,_

_You and me, baby, we rock together!_

Vivli phased out from the lyrics. They reminded her too much of how she felt around Zinkata. Sure, it would be Zinkata's song, but it was what he was. He was her hero. She needed to look no further than him for her own safety and security. Now he was gone. And she needed a hero again.

The song continued with poorly written verses and ill fitting rhymes that didn't even seem to share the same beat. Vivli sighed. She wished she could strangle whoever wrote it. It was terrible. Yet the words seemed to haunt her. Something about them. A hero's what you're looking for. A hero's what you've got. Was it telling her she didn't need to look? Maybe Zinkata and Olose were her heroes. Maybe even all of the Light Warriors. Maybe that was the point. Or maybe she was reading too far into it. It was just a song.

Still. It would be nice if the other Light Warriors were her heroes.

Voldos peered out from his helmet, and began to ponder the view before him. Darkness. Was it some kind of trick? Some plot against him? Whatever it was, it wasn't to be taken lightly. He swiftly drew his sword, only to hear a voice.

"Voldos, what are you doing?" Came the sound of a second temple knight stood next to him.

"Some kind of spell has been cast on me! I can't see! Run, my old friend! It's too late for you!" Voldos cried dramatically.

"Voldos, you have put your helmet on back to front." Sighed the exasperated temple knight. Voldos paused, and quickly took off his awkwardly placed helmet.

"Oh." He stated, with a matter of fact cough. "Well spotted. You're doing well!"

"You took it off to scratch your head then put it on wrong." Sighed Razio, the second temple knight. He was older than Voldos, but technically less experienced. Voldos was an ex-Light Warrior after all. Unfortunately, this meant Razio had a maturity that was completely unamused by Voldos's antics.

"Of course. Of course." Voldos nodded. "Testing you see. It's important to be able to spot that kind of thing."

"How did you ever save the world?" Sighed Razio. It wasn't the first time he had asked that question, and it wouldn't be the last.

"Well, it all began when the other Light Warriors were defeated cowering in a corner." Voldos began. "Now, amongst the cries of 'Save us Voldos, save us!', which I could barely hear over the screams of my adoring fangirls I must point out, I noticed a key weakness in the enemy. He was just not as awesome as me. So I-"

"VOLDOS!" Came a cheerful cry. Voldos suddenly jumped out of his skin and spun around, waving his sword frantically. He suddenly paused and his eyes went wide.

"Zinkata!" He cried in astonishment. "Olose! What are you doing here?"

"That is one long story." Zinkata smiled, running up and hugging Voldos.

"This still means I'm totally into chicks, right?" Voldos confirmed with Razio, who simply rolled his eyes.

"And we had better get explaining." Olose told him. "The fate of the world could rest on us once more."

"Oh, fantastic!" Voldos grinned. "I've been needing some new stories!"

**Author's Notes: Just a few final notes. That song I wrote, which is why it's terrible. I mean, REALLY bad! I can't write songs. Funny though, 'coz Vivli insults it too. Vivli insults the writer. Me. I'm Vivli. I insult myself. Strange.**

**Voldos has also gotten stupider. I wanted a comedy introduction for him, which is a bit over the top, but I felt it works! Hopefully the comedy isn't over blown. Thanks for reading! If you have time, please leave a review, I love reading them!**


	6. Waltz De Chocobo

**Author's Note: Right. I realised it had taken me so long to update the last chapter I completely forgot to respond to reviews, which I feel a bit mean for doing, since you were all nice enough to leave me really nice comments, then I ignored you. Sorry! So urm, let's see.**

**_Phabrizoe - _Rest assured. Crazy Steve will be in here! Wouldn't be the FFXI Chronicles without him. Oh, and I'm glad you liked Voldos! I was quite proud of his scene, thought it was quite funny.**

**_Dark Axem - _Thanks a lot for the compliment. Believe me, I'd love to be a writer, but I don't think I'm good enough. Not yet anyway. I guess this works as a nice way of practicing skills though!**

**_Neo Xain_ - I think I pretty much responded personally to most of your comments by e-mail, but thanks a lot for the help, and I did go back and correct that thing you pointed out about Razio using contractions, so it's no longer a problem! Thanks for pointing it out, and thanks again for letting me use him!**

**_Wiegraf - _Thanks for the review and kind comments! I'm not sure what you meant by 'reading the second part of Vivlis', I'm not very interesting to read, and I'm fairly certain there's only one of me! Seriously though, thanks! **

**_TheFrogKiller - _About time you gave me a review! 'Course, I'm joking. But thanks! I've been missing them!**

**_Poiso - _I can't remember if I responded to your review or not, but thanks a lot for the kind words! World building is a little beyond me, I've tried it, and it becomes generic fantasy jargon. It's much easier just to use an established one, and more fun for me. Plus I love these characters. And, as stated above, I'm not good enough to be published, so there's no real point, I just write for fun, so can use whatever I want. Oh, and I appreciate being told I'm a few notches above FFXI fanfics, but I'm really not. I mean, when you have writers like TheFrogKiller, Akkiko, SierraNightBorne, Brian Conely and Whren, I look like a two year old with crayons next to Van Gogh!**

**Okay, onto this chapter. This chapter marks a bit of a shift in gears for the tone, it steers away from tragedy here. Why? Because I want to show why the Light Warriors are so important to Vivli, and why she needs them to be together. Which means this chapter is almost like old times (including one of Vivli's old complaints arising).**

**I can't write out the tragic aspects, so they will return, Vivli still has a lot of personal demons to face, but for the time being I wanted to write a fun chapter, and show why her friends were so important, as suggested in the previous chapter!**

**CHAPTER VI**

Vivli had given up trying to read into the signs around her. She couldn't help but feel that everything was bombarding her with hidden messages, like that stupid song. Part of her wanted to go back to her room in Jeuno, collapse, and never move again. Be on her own, away from all the stress. But another part of her knew that she needed her friends more than she needed anything in the world.

"Hello Vivli." Came the smug voice of Voldos from behind her. She suddenly sprang up with a massive grin and threw her arms around him.  
"Voldos!" She screamed, overjoyed to see him again.

"Whoa, hold up. I know I'm dammed irresistible, but I'm married now." He laughed. Vivli pulled away and playfully hit him in the chest, only hurting her own hand against his armour. She pulled it back and scrunched up her face painfully. Voldos laughed. "Plus you still hit like a girl." She frowned at him. "Of course, I'm so strong and manly, I wouldn't really notice, no matter how hard you hit." He laughed to himself, and Vivli chuckled. "It's good to see you Viv." He said warmly, actually hugging her back. "You're looking good. Really pretty." It was a strangely pleasant thing for Voldos to say, and Vivli could only guess that the others had told him to be nice to her. It never occurred to her that he might be doing it because they had been separated so long.

"Thanks." She chuckled. "You don't look too bad yourself. Very dashing." She said with a smirk, pointing to his armour.

"Don't I always?" Voldos grinned.

"Not as such, no." Vivli replied without thinking.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Voldos cried.

"I said nothing!" Vivli squeaked, retreating back to Zinkata and Olose, who stood nearby. They laughed as she cowered behind them. Voldos almost had a tear in his eye. He'd missed this. Them, together, as friends again.

"So, Olose told me something about you guys needing my fantastic brilliance." He grinned sarcastically. "Might have figured you would."

"We need to find a missing ship." Vivli explained.

"I know." Voldos smiled. "Olose did tell me that much."  
"But first we need to find Bootus." Zinkata pointed out.

"Why bother? I count for at least two Light Warriors." Voldos joked. "No, better make that three. It's still an understatement of my true awesomeness, but I've always been modest." Vivli burst into laughter, just relishing in Voldos's foolishness. "Although I guess it would be nice to have Bootus around again." Voldos admitted.

"Yeah, I do miss him." Vivli said without thinking. "Urm, I mean, you must miss him!" She quickly corrected. The other three were already laughing.

"Knew you liked him really Viv." Zinkata chuckled.

"Oh damn!" Vivli cried, stamping her foot not unlike a spoiled child. "Well, he is a friend. Just a very big, annoying, friend." She finished.

"Yeah, that about sums up Bootus." Zinkata laughed.

"So, to Bastok then?" Voldos sighed.

"Where it all started when _some _meanie robbed me!" Vivli pointed out, behaving particularly childishly, but having fun while doing it. She was happier than she had been in a long time this way, and wasn't going to give it up for the world.

"Really? Who did that?" Voldos asked, baffled.

"Zinkata you stupid-" She paused, trying to think of an insult. "-elf, person!"

"It's pronounced _Elvaan. _El-vaan." He said to Vivli in his most patronizing tone of voice.

"It's like old times and Bootus isn't even back yet." Olose grumbled.

"Is that good or bad?" Zinkata questioned.

"Good!" Vivli beamed, smiling. Zinkata let a smirk creep across his face.

"It's good to see you happy Viv." He told her.

"And all it took was to be insulted and patronized. Is that a commentary on her?" Olose asked with a laugh.

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS EARLIER**_

"I'm always in a situation where I'm about to die. Is that a commentary on me?" Olose asked with a sigh as the massive monster approached him. "Okay foul beast! Taste steel!" Olose reached for his swords, only to discover they were no longer there. "Typical." He growled. "Oh well, maybe I can talk this thing to death." It swung one of its massive claws in at Olose, and he dove between its legs, avoiding it. It brought its tail around and hit him, sending him flying across the cave and crashing down in a pile of rubble.

It took Olose a mere moment to realize that the rubble was in fact a pile of bones. He sprang out quickly, looking back with a gulp.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." He decided to state, noticing that there were bones scattered all around him. The creature roared, and the crowd peering down through the cage-like roof of the cave cheered enthusiastically. Olose bent down and grabbed one of the bones. "Okay, it may be morbid, but it could come in useful." The creature began to march towards him, and swung down it its powerful hand, grabbing him and lifting him up. It opened its mouth to consume him and he thrust the bone in, pinning its mouth open. It roared, letting him go and staggering back. The bone quickly shattered under the pressure of its mighty jaw, and it renewed its attack. "Okay. I need a new plan." Olose sighed, grabbing a rock from the floor. He threw it, hitting the beast in the head, causing it to stumble back. He ran, ducking under its legs, and coming up by its tail, which he leapt on, and ran up the beast, until he ended up on its head. "Here goes nothing." He sighed, jumping his most powerful jump and grabbing hold of the metal bars in the roof. The crowd roared with anticipation as he pulled his legs up to the bars, and pushed with all his might. His mighty muscles quickly bent the bars and he climbed through the gap, leaving the creature and the cave behind. He mentally thanked his ability to jump so far; a side effect of being a werewolf, and turned around.

Only to come face to face with Leanne and a silver arrow leveled at his face.

He cursed.

Arcadia woke up on an uncomfortable bed. At least, it was uncomfortable by the standards she was used to. The room she was in seemed pleasant enough, a simple domesticated hotel room, almost. Were it not for one of the walls being replaced by metal bars. She sighed. She had been taken captive by somebody, obviously. At least she got a nice cell.

She heard footsteps approaching. The corridor outside the bars looked much more like a traditional dungeon; obviously the room had been inserted for her benefit. She listened curiously. The footsteps were the clicking of high heels, not the expected noise in a dungeon. She approached the bars as they got closer, waiting to see just who was approaching.

She raised an eyebrow as the figure emerged. She looked more like Arcadia than Arcadia would like to admit. She wore a pink evening gown, down to her ankles, exposing her stiletto heels, and wore blonde hair tied tightly up above her head. Her lips glistened with pink lipstick despite the lack of light, and she was ordained with expensive jewelry, perhaps even more excessively than Arcadia.

"This is disgusting." Commented the stranger. "I told them to make sure you were taken care of, and they give me this." She spoke with an upper class, yet dismissive accent, as if she was talking down to the world. She looked young, but wore so much make-up, it was impossible to guess her true age.

"I thought it was nice." Arcadia shot, knowing better than to lose her cool, despite the strangeness of her captor. "I mean, not enough people put thought into kidnappings these days. Here I've got a bed, a nice desk, even a candle."

"I wouldn't be caught dead sleeping there." The stranger announced.

"I hope your caught dead soon though." Arcadia shot back with a smirk. "So, who are you? You do not appear to be the usual kind of kidnapper."

"Kidnapper? Oh no, I'm not involved with that." The stranger looked disgusted at the suggestion. "I am Lady Aura, and I only work with these people through circumstance."

"These people?" Arcadia asked skeptically.

"Yes. It's a mere logical choice. Once they approached me with their offer, I couldn't refuse." Aura replied. "They're planning to take over the world. They will succeed as well. But they needed an operative who was high enough in status to find out the information they needed. They picked me with the promise that I could go on living. I accepted."

"And my capture?" Arcadia sighed. "How does that fit in?"

"Only one person can stop us." Aura admitted. "But with you our prisoner, he won't try anything."

"Olose." Arcadia smiled. "You underestimate him."

"And you underestimate us." Aura shot. "I'm now here, having to make a rather unpleasant journey I might add, to have good relations with you. They felt that I could communicate best with you." Arcadia took a step towards the bars.

"Well, let me give you some advice." She began. "Leave now. Because when Olose comes here, he will rip through this dungeon like a tornado, and no pretty dress or innocent smile is going to save you."

Aura paused, turned, and walked out.

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS LATER**_

Four chocobos rode away from San d'Oria, and one tiny mithra let out a long and annoyed groan.

"Three years since I've ridden one!" Vivli whined, awkwardly sat sideways on the saddle due to her dress. "Three years and they still smell!"

"Urm, Viv, the smell doesn't just go away." Olose laughed.

"I think it's gotten worse." Vivli wrinkled her nose.

"It's really not that bad." Sighed Zinkata wearily.

"It's _horrific_!" Vivli exclaimed. "It makes me feel ill!"

"Nobody else has ever complained. Ever." Olose pointed out. "I mean, have you ever seen somebody else complain about chocobos?"

"They must all be superhuman." Vivli muttered. "They stink!" She leant over to her chocobos face, or the best she could from her sat position. "Don't you, you stupid, smelly bird?" She told it.

"Kweh?" Came the curious, yet almost insulted sounding response.

"Don't give me that! It's your own fault." Vivli told it. "You'd be really cute too, if you didn't smell so bad."

"Kweh!" The chocobo snapped angrily, and Vivli leapt back in fright.

"Don't go getting angry at me." She pouted. "You do smell bad! Really horrible! And my clothes are going to stink of it for days!" The chocobo didn't make a sound this time, but just angrily snapped its back to the side. Vivli fell off, crashing down on the ground. She looked up, only to see ginger hair. By the time she had pushed it out of the way, her chocobo was long gone. She stood up, hearing the laughter of Voldos, Olose and Zinkata. "Hey! That hurt!" She whined.

"The ground is soft here Viv." Zinkata laughed. "Don't complain."

"Come on Viv, get up here and I'll give you a ride." Olose joked, gesturing to his chocobo. "Just don't insult it, or else it might throw both of us off."

"Very funny." Vivli moaned, walking over to Olose's chocobo and climbing onto it.

Or at least _attempting _to climb onto it. It was bigger than her small chocobo, and she couldn't get up, instead ending up uselessly struggling. She stopped, and looked helpless for a moment before Olose picked her up and placed her on the back.

"You really remind me of a kid sometimes." Voldos laughed.

"Funny. I often say the same about you." She replied, sticking her tongue out in a purposefully childish way.

"That better?" Olose considered, before grinning. "You know, I don't see why you complain, your chocobo may have stunk,but you smell great." Vivli blushed brightly.

"It's not just my chocobo." She said sheepishly, trying to move on, deciding not to dwell on that moment. "_All _chocobos stink. It's like genetic."

"Or maybe it's just the stables they keep them in?" Zinkata suggested.

"Well, whatever it is, it's horrible." Vivli complained.

"I really don't think it's that bad Viv. Maybe you're just prissy." Voldos suggested.

"I'm _WHAT?_" Vivli screamed.

The others just burst into laughter. It was like old times, and Bootus wasn't even there yet.

In fact, at that very moment, the mighty galka was stood outside the walls of Bastok.

"Move it soldiers!" He screamed in orders. "Come on you pansies! Do you want to live forever?" One of the small galkan children turned to their mentor.

"But Mr Bwootus swir." He said sweetly. "We just wanted to see the desert."

"Geez, no sense of fun, you kids." The large galka laughed. He looked at the class he had been given. Community service after he finally got charged for abuse after constantly insulting the guards. "Well, this is the desert, but it's dangerous. You never know what you might find out here, so you kids stay within the city walls, right?"

"Yes Mr Bootus." They all droned together.

"And remember-" He began, turning out to the sandy desert, only to see three chocobos approaching. He did a double take. It had almost looked like-

No. It couldn't be. Wait. That was. That was Voldos! And Zinkata! And Olose! And a little mithra behind him? Vivli! That was impossible!

"Urm. Remember, class finishes early today." He finished in awe. "Go home now." The children looked confused, but the galka was already running out into the desert towards his long lost companions.


	7. Four Valiant Hearts

**Author's Notes: I'm sorry! It took me forever to find the motivation to write! I'm so sorry about the slow updates, I'm trying to keep up. I finally got this chapter done though. It has some problems, for one, I feel Vivli's trauma has been pushed too far into the background, so I'm going to explore that in the next chapter hopefully, because she's not just going to forget it, but this chapter is also a bit of fun. Big battles, the return of all the characters, the usual Light Warriorish comments, and so on.**

**On a side note, I'm no longer allowed to reply to reviewers in notes. Apparently I have to use the 'reply' button. That's lovely. But as general points addressed to everyone, yes, Olose's monster fight scene was a rip off of Star Wars. One time I didn't admit it and the one time I got caught! Ahem. And to _me _Gustaberg is a desert! At least, I always thought of it as one. For really flimsy excuses, the end of the FFXI Chronicles 3 hinted Vivli is writing these, so maybe she, having grown up in Windurst and never seen a desert, thinks of it as one?**

**Wow. That _is _a flimsy excuse.**

**Anyway, sorry for the slack updates. I'll try and do better! And yes, I know I still did kinda do replies, but it was so everybody could see my response to some issues raised in reviews. That's allowed, right?**

**CHAPTER VII**

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS EARLIER**_

"Okay. Look. Maybe we got off on the wrong foot." Olose decided, the silver arrow still pointed at him.

"That was an impressive feat down there, Olose. You proved your agility, and your ingenuity, but you didn't defeat the monster." Leanne observed. "So it's hard to tell whether your him or not."

"Sorry. Who?" Olose tried to sound as casual as possible as he questioned Leanne in confusion.

"How were you so successful anyway? That monster down there is no tougher than anything else you've faced." Leanne seemed to ignore him, which Olose found to be, quite frankly, rude.

"Through us." Leanne's eyes went wide as she felt the tip of an arrow against the back of her head.

"Hi Trevia." Olose said cheerfully. Leanne cursed silently.

"Just how did you sneak up on me?" She growled.

"Deodorize!" Suse exclaimed cheerfully, a bow and arrow readied (poorly, Olose was hoping their opponents wouldn't notice that she was unsure of how to use one).

"Well, we had to use items because _somebody _doesn't know the spell." Jeren casually commented, holding two bombs in his hands; a threat to anybody who dared approach him.

"I'm a _black _mage." Phabrizoe replied, lightning crackling around him for emphasis. "Of course I don't know _white _spells."

"Okay. Cut the chatter." Olose quickly slammed upwards, knocking Leanne's bow and arrow out of her hand as soon as he had spoken. Leanne reacted quickly, jumping into a roundhouse kick, knocking Olose down and causing Trevia to jump back. Trevia fired her arrow, but Leanne was too fast, and it missed. Trevia drew a katana, Olose took a fighting stance, Suse pulled back on her bow, Phabrizoe began to cast and Jeren lit the bombs as the multiple thugs around them began to advance.  
"We're outnumbered sir." Trevia observed.

"Outmatched too." Phabrizoe pointed out, as the thugs drew swords, staffs and bows.

"Business as usual then." Olose sighed. "ATTACK!"

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS LATER**_

Bootus could barely find the will within himself to speak.

"W-what are you doing here? I-I never thought I'd see you again!" He exclaimed.

"Usual business. Save the world." Zinkata said smugly.

"Dammed world, always getting itself into trouble." Bootus grumbled. "It-urrrr-it's good to see you again." He paused, turning to Vivli. "Yes, even you." He added as she smiled. Their smiles suddenly faded as a loud piercing noise shrieked through the air.

"What's that?" Vivli exclaimed.

"It can't be." Voldos whispered. The other warriors turned to him. "That's an elvaan warhorn! The sound of San d'Oria's army!" The five turned to see crossing across the sand a huge platoon of elvaan warriors, dressed in the armour of the San d'Orian military.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Olose said simply to the others.

"I'm thinking that if those are from San d'Oria, then I'm weaker than Vivli!" Voldos growled.

"Yeah, there's-" Vivli began, before realizing what he said. "HEY!"

"What do you think?" Zinkata asked, turning to Olose.

"It's a trick." He stated. "We've seen people trying to start a war, this is the next logical step. A fake assault by San d'Oria. Bastok will be quick to respond."

"Then what do we do?" Vivli questioned hopelessly.

"There's too many of them." Zinkata decided, taking on his role of leader once more. "We can't stop them all. Save as many lives as you can. It's all we can do. We'll get to the bottom of this quickly."

"I wish I knew what was going on." Bootus grumbled.

"There'll be time for explanations later!" Vivli cried.

"Vivli's right!" Zinkata agreed.

"Heh. There's something you don't hear everyday." Bootus interrupted before Zinkata could say anything else.

"HEY!" Vivli managed to protest.

"They've been together five minutes and already they're at it." Voldos grumbled.

"As I was saying, Vivli's right, we need to deal with this for the moment." Zinkata drew his sword and smiled. "Guess we're back together again."

"I feel the need to say something poetic." Voldos decided. He paused. "Ah hell, I suck at poetry! Let's kick their butts!" The four reunited Light Warriors, with Olose at their side, charged the attacking army, planning to take as many out as possible before they reached the city.

A sudden loud roar made them reconsider. The five halted, and began to look around.

"_Now_ what?" Vivli almost sobbed in exasperation.

"Oh, I was afraid of this. This is not good!" Olose cried. "Dragon!" He pointed to the air, where a massive dragon swooped down at them. It was huge, with wings spanning out so far that when it flew in front of the sun it blocked it out completely. The monster shimmered with light blue scales, and icy eyes.

"Now I'm _certain _it's not San d'Oria. We don't have one of those." Voldos commented.

"I've never seen anything like it." Vivli whispered in awe. "That's not any recorded monster in Vana'diel!"

"Believe me, if there's something I've learnt over the years, there are a lot of unrecorded monsters." Olose sighed.

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS EARLIER**_

Olose raised an eyebrow, and then lowered his stolen sword.

"This seems to be going well, sir." Trevia told him.

"This is no time for sarcasm!" Olose snapped. The crew had become completely surrounded by their opponents.

"Why won't they just die?" Suse asked in frustration.

"Because they're immortal, like me." Olose growled. "It makes life a little more difficult."

"Sir, that's the kind of information we could have used _before _we got into this battle." Trevia commented dryly.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I was a little captured when you planned this rescue!" Olose pointed out.

"Oh, stop bickering." Phabrizoe sighed. "We've been in worse."

"Like?" Jeren asked.

"Urm. I'm not good with examples." Phabrizoe replied. Leanne raised a hand, signaling for her troops to halt.

"Now, Olose, you avoided the last test. Let's see how well you fair against this one." She began to explain, before a massive gate in the cave was raised a huge blue dragon burst out into it. "We never named it, but be assured, it _is _powerful. A creature we constructed magically using the power of elements and the birth of a dragon. Let's see just how powerful, shall we?"

"I'm really beginning to hate that girl." Olose growled as the dragon rocketed towards the heroes.

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS LATER**_

The dragon roared, opening its mouth and rearing back its head.

"Look out! It's going to breath-" Vivli began, before it roared and water sprayed out of its mouth, covering the tiny mithra and sending her rocketing back across the now soaked sand. "-water?" She finished, confused, standing, dripping wet.

"A water breathing dragon?" Voldos questioned. "I mean, I know it's a little hot out here, but that's excessive."

"You alright Viv?" Zinkata yelled to her, getting ready for a second attack by the dragon.

"Y-yeah. It didn't hurt." She said oddly, standing up, dripping with water. "Nice and cooling though."

"Viv! The sand!" Olose cried. Vivli looked down too late, to notice the wet sand had quickly morphed to quicksand.

"You had to stand in the _sandy _area of Gustaburg, didn't you?" Bootus grumbled.

"I didn't realize there _was _a sandy area of Gustaburg." Voldos commented.

"Now is _not _the time!" Vivli screamed in panic, having already sunk to her knees. She struggled uselessly to escape, and was clearly very afraid.

"Olose, pull her out." Zinkata ordered. "Voldos, take that dragon down!"

"Yes sir!" Voldos started firing arrows, but the dragon pulled back its head and chucked out of its mouth huge chunks of ice that crashed down by the elvaan, making him have to jump aside to avoid certain death.

Olose ran to the edge of the quicksand pit (where Vivli was now up to her waist, and screaming for help), but before he could do anything an arrow thudded into his heart.

"Hey! Just because I'm immortal doesn't mean that doesn't hurt!" He growled as the invading 'San d'Oria' army reached them. He drew his twin swords and began fighting them back, but was totally surrounded, and that meant he couldn't help Vivli.

Bootus had problems of his own, now being what felt like several miles _above _Gustaberg in the talons of the dragon. He grumbled several curse words to himself before reaching for his scythe and jabbing it into the underbelly of the dragon. The dragon just tightened its grip on him causing him to drop the weapon. He cursed again.

"Time to fall back on that monk training I guess." He sighed. "Do dragons have pressure points?" The dragon roared as if in response. "I wasn't asking you!" He snapped, smashing his mighty galkan fist against the dragon's joints. The dragon yelped, and its claws released slightly, Bootus scrambled out and climbed up onto the dragons back, rather than allowing himself to fall to his death. "Okay, now the tables have turned." He smirked, clinging to the monster's back and edging himself towards its neck.

Zinkata spun his sword, cutting into the attacking troops with expert precision. His attacks were deadly strokes, but they weren't falling down.

"Olose?" He yelled. "Is there a reason these guys aren't dying?" Olose ducked under a sword and drove his sword up into another one of the troops. He got stabbed in the back as he did so, he was so totally surrounded, but it didn't harm his immortal body.

"Cut off their heads! It's the only way!" Olose replied. Zinkata nodded, spinning around and decapitating one of the attackers. He fell down.

Voldos spun his own sword, attacking with firm precision strikes. He spotted one of the attackers leaping at him and twirled his sword. His attacker landed without limbs.

"They're not much good without arms either!" He laughed. Voldos suddenly lowered his weapons, noticing that the attackers were ignoring the Light Warriors and still charging the city. They had run straight past, engaging them when they could, and now continued on to Bastok.

"I guess we had better follow." Zinkata decided, before there was a sudden loud crash, like a meteor slamming into the ground. He turned slowly to see out of the dust Bootus roll off the corpse of the dragon.

"That. Hurt." He managed to say. "Where's our white mage?" He grumbled, swaying dizzily.

"Oh crap! VIVLI!" Zinkata yelled, running over to the patch of sand. Vivli was squirming, up to her waist in wet sand.

"Urr. I guess it wasn't that deep." She shrugged.

"Thank god you're alright." Zinkata sighed. Vivli couldn't hide her smile at his concern, followed by a slight flash of anger; she knew he didn't mean it in the way she wanted him to. "Quick! Heal Bootus!" He ordered.

"I can't!" She told him. "I'm not sat waist deep in sand because I like it! I'm stuck!" She squirmed hopelessly to emphasize this point. The Light Warriors smiled slightly.

"Can we leave her there?" Bootus suggested. "I'd rather be injured than miss out on the comedy potential of watching her trying to free herself."

"We have a city to save here." Zinkata pointed out. "No time for games!" He bend down and gave Vivli a hand, his own feet sinking slightly at the edge of the sand. He hauled her out and she sighed.

"My dress is ruined." She moaned.

"Girl." Bootus taunted.

"Hey!" Vivli cried, before pausing. "Well, yes, I am. Why? Something wrong with that?"

"Well, since galkas are by far the most superior race in Vana'diel, and we have no girls, obviously there is." Bootus grinned.

"A race with no girls. It's like a nightmare." Voldos muttered to himself.

"Galkas aren't strictly male either!" Vivli cried, marching over to him, her sand soaked dress sticking to her body in ways that made her shiver. "And you're being sexist!"

"Guys!" Olose snapped. "Now is _not _the time, remember?"

"Oh right. The city!" Bootus clicked his fingers almost sarcastically.

"We need to get to the President's office." Zinkata decided. "We need him to realize this is not San d'Oria."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? Him seeing you reunited?" Olose asked.

"Plus I'd have to see him in a ruined dress." Vivli added.

"Girl." Bootus mocked again.

"Dammit! Stop saying that!" Vivli yelled.

"No." Bootus commented confidently.

"AH!" Vivli screamed in frustration.

"We don't have a choice." Zinkata stated. "This goes beyond us. If Bastok attacks San d'Oria in retaliation the entire land is doomed. Civil war will erupt and thousands of lives will be lost."

"He's right!" Vivli input, feeling the need to state her opinion.

"Right. We fight to the President's office!" Olose agreed. "Let's move!"

The city of Bastok was in chaos. The military had been utterly unprepared for an attack, let alone against seemingly immortal opponents. The Light Warriors and Olose arrived just in time to see a grand airship rising into the sky.

"Dammit. That's the President's airship. They're evacuating him!" Olose told the others.

"What do we do now?" Vivli screamed, being more than a little afraid of the battle raging around her.

"What we do best." Zinkata decided. "Fight."  
"That's not what I do best." Vivli muttered.

"Right. Like you said, we save as many as we can, it's all we can do." Voldos agreed with a nod, readying his bow. "Just like old times, right?"

"I'm humiliated, embarrassed, and scared. So yes." Vivli replied. Voldos grinned.

A figure from long ago stood overlooking the battlefield with concern. Her hair hung down over her face, but was quickly blown back by a gust of wind. Leanne.

"The four fight reunited." She said, sounding nervous. "Surely now we-"

"It is of no concern!" Snapped a second figure, cloaked in black, with a hood hanging over his face, clouding what could only be seen as ghastly features. "Soon our plan shall come to fruition and Olose Sampson shall no longer be a threat. He is the only one that can stop us, not these 'Light Warriors'."

"My Lord, for all our faith in prophecies, it is said that the Light Warriors are the four that shall defend Vana'diel and keep it safe in the ancient texts. They are just a larger threat as Olose. And we learnt before not to underestimate people like that." Leanne explained. The cloaked figure turned an angry eye to her.

"Do not question my judgement, or you shall die long before they do." He stated, before focusing in on the battle below. "The mithra. She's small. Weak. Break her. Without her, they are not four. They are no threat. That is your solution. Now carry out my will." The figure decided.

"As you wish, my Lord." Leanne bowed.

"My dear, we shall take our rightful place yet. These four and that pathetic Sampson cannot stop us. The trap is almost set." Leanne began to walk away before the robed figure held up a hand, signaling for her to stop. "Recall the armies. The damage has been done. If they discover they are immortal, then they shall not suspect San d'Oria. For now, any stories of soldiers not dying shall remain insane stories of battle scarred soldiers. During the retreat order them to drop bodies from the elvaan patrols we slaughtered, that should make for a convincing aftermath."

"It will be done, my Lord." Leanne bowed for a second time, taking in her new orders. The robed figure smiled as she departed. This time, his plan was working, and Olose Sampson was being delivered directly into his hands.

Vivli looked up with a smile as she noticed the troops were retreating.

"They're running away!" She exclaimed, before deciding to come out from her hiding place behind a large amount of crates, and try to pretend she hadn't been curled up hiding since the fight began. She didn't want to dwell on it too much. She had completely lost her nerve, and knew that it could only be a bad sign. She didn't want to focus on it. Thinking about her losing her nerve would get her thinking about why, and thinking about why would get her thinking about _that_, and how she would have been better throwing herself off of the airship. And she had been so happy, reunited with her friends, but now it all came crashing back down upon her.

"Right." Bootus growled, watching them retreat. "Now will somebody _please _tell me what the hell is going on?"


	8. Towards That Hate

**Author's Note: Sorry for the late update! They're going to be slow, and even slower over Christmas I'm afraid. Christmas is going to be a tough time for me, my family is a bit strained at the moment and I'm worried things will go a bit wrong, making writing difficult.**

**Sorry. Enough about my personal life. I want to point out to new readers (and old ones alike) that I'm not being new and cruel and ignoring my reviewers, only I'm not allowed to reply to them in author's notes anymore, so if you leave a review, I'll reply to you via the reply button. It somehow doesn't feel the same, not being able to talk to my readers directly from the story where everybody can see the points, but I'm afraid I have no choice.**

**I didn't quite go into Vivli's trauma as much as I'd like this chapter, I'm finding it very difficult to do, but it is there, and she does develop quite a bit this chapter (you'll see what I mean). I'm also trying to keep at the fun humour which is more present in the flashback sections, but again, I've tried to make sure it's there. I'm also planning to work in some character cameos (any readers who want one just ask and you'll get one as thanks for reading!) although I'm not quite sure yet. Got a few I know will be in there somewhere, but not sure where yet, so watch out for them!**

**Anyway, time to be quiet and let you read, I figure.**

**CHAPTER VIII**

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS EARLIER**_

"There are times in life when I like to sit back and wonder how we got into these kinds of situations." Jeren seemed to say casually.

"Can I suggest that this is _not _the time?" Olose cried, ducking an arrow as they ran through the cave network.

"You may have a point." Jeren confessed.

"There's an awful lot of people following us." Suse observed, viewing their angry pursuers.

"So we traded a dragon for a hoard of murderous immortals enraged with us, it happens." Trevia casually shrugged, throwing a shuriken at their followers, which provided decisively ineffective. She drew a silver dagger, and hurled that, and screams of agony made sure it did a considerably better job. Another arrow whizzed past the group, just missing Suse.

"Why can bad guys never shoot straight?" She asked.

"Don't complain!" Olose snapped. "Jeren! Time to bring the roof down on these guys!"

"Thought you'd never ask!" Jeren replied, pulling out two more bombs.  
"How many of those things do you carry?" Phabrizoe inquired, hurling a lightning bolt back at their enemies.

"Just make sure you never cast a fire spell around me." Jeren warned as he lit the bombs and threw them into the air.

They exploded, and with a massive rumbling the cave collapsed in on itself, forming a barrier of rocks between pursuers and the pursued. The group stopped for a moment to catch their breath. Olose seemed to sigh painfully.

"How did this happen?" He asked. "How can they still be alive?"

"The werewolves?" Suse tried to figure out what he was talking about, and wasn't doing a particularly good job.

"One werewolf with sinister motivations almost destroyed Tavnazia in a simple brawl." Olose stated. "What's an army of them going to do?"

"Nothing." Trevia decided. "Because we're going to stop them."

Leanne paced nervously in front of the cloaked figure, sat in a high backed concrete chair.

"Where is he now?" The cloaked figure's voice rang out with eerie tones.

"I don't know. He evaded us." Leanne replied.

"Find him!" Snapped the cloaked man, his deformed chin all that was visible under his cloak. "I am certain he is the one that can stop us. We _must _eliminate him or we are destined to fail."

"Sir, isn't it possible you're reading too far into this prophecy?" Leanne dared to ask. "I mean, it's only an ancient rumour, and he's only one man. He ran away today, and will probably continue to do so. He's no real threat." The robed figure fell silent, and slowly rose from his chair. He took a single step towards Leanne, and paused.

"I would be careful as to not voice such doubts again in my presence." He simply warned. Leanne gulped.

"Understood, my Lord." She bowed, turned and left.

Arcadia paced in her cell. She was frustrated, not upset. She felt left in the dark, and it was making her angry. She wasn't quite sure what was going on. She certainly didn't understand Aura's involvement. And waiting for Olose was getting annoying. Too annoying. Arcadia hated that feeling of being helpless, but escape didn't seem a likely option. She froze, hearing footsteps, and paused, waiting. Aura appeared again, and stood before her.

"Hungry yet?" She gloated. "After that little outburst, I thought it best not to feed you."

"It will take more than starving me to affect me." Arcadia answered confidently.

"I'm sure I could arrange a transfer to another cell." Aura threatened.

"Unlike you, threatening to take away my comforts will not achieve whatever you're planning." Arcadia replied with a slight smile.

"Planning? Oh no, nothing like that. You are insurance. You just need to be kept here. How we keep you here is of our own deciding. I can chain you up and hang you from a dungeon wall, if you'd prefer."

"I am sure you would get your hands dirty doing it." Arcadia knew how to deal with people like Aura, she had been raised around them, and dare she think it, she was getting the upper hand on her captor.

"Once Olose has fallen, we will have no need to keep you alive." Aura smiled. "Your actions now will pick your death. Right now, it's leaning towards 'slow and painful'." Aura turned, and left, before Arcadia could say anything else. Arcadia paused, her confidence slightly shaken. She was still certain Olose would stop them. He always did.

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS LATER**_

Bastok was in disarray. The assault by San d'Oria had left the city shaken. The President had only just returned from the safety of his personal airship, and had promptly declared martial law to prevent people taking advantage of the wrecked city. Guards lined every street. Behind closed doors a counter attack was being planned. They knew San d'Oria was well protected, but they were planning to take it down in one swift attack. Once that attack began, Vana'diel would be cast into a war from which is may never recover. The machinations of the villains were already underway.

Vivli let out a long yawn as the group talked in the small inn. Rooms had been readily available, with so many people fleeing the city. Bootus crossed his large arms, and went deep into thought.

"The retaliation is already underway." He decided. "It's highly unlikely the President will believe this was a ruse. Especially from anybody who has any ties to the Light Warriors. He hates us, remember?"

"Iron Eater might listen." Olose suggested. "I'll talk to him in the morning."

"If you can get to him." Voldos interjected.

"Morning sounds good." Vivli yawned. Olose and Zinkata smirked.

"Maybe you should go to sleep Viv." Zin suggested. "You look tired." Vivli sighed. She had never been able to stay up as late as the others, and she was getting far sleepier far quicker in her current state. The exercise of the day she hadn't really experienced in three years either, so sleep sounded awfully tempting.

"Urm. Maybe I should." Vivli nodded, getting up and leaving the room. Back when they had traveled together, she had always had her own room, being the only girl in the group, and now was no different. Only when she had been with Zinkata did she share a room, and she didn't even want to think about those days currently.

The group watched her go, and then sighed.

"I'd kind of missed this." Bootus smirked slightly.

"You're gonna miss it a lot more if war starts." Olose pointed out. "We need to find a way to stop them."

"Any ideas? We don't even know who _they _are." Zinkata pointed out.

"I do." Olose stated. The group suddenly focused very intently on him. "Over five hundred years ago I ran into a cult of werewolves."

"_Werewolves_? I thought you were the last one?" Voldos said in shock.

"So did I. We did battle and eventually they were defeated. I thought they were gone for good. It seems that I was wrong." Olose sighed. "It may sound bigheaded, but there was a prophecy that only one of their own ranks, turned against them, could stop them. That person turned out to me. They were obsessed with destroying me, and in an ironic twist, caused their own destruction."

"Apparently not." Bootus felt the need to point out.

"Indeed." Olose nodded. "They were obsessed with destroying me before, and probably still are now. I'd imagine that's why they raised my ship. They're after me."

"So why attack Bastok?" Voldos asked.

"Part of their plan. They want to plunge Vana'diel into war then take over. But they're afraid I can stop them." Olose explained.

"So what are we going to do?" Bootus inquired.

"Exactly that." Olose grinned. "Stop them."

Vivli pulled her covers up around her and shivered. She suddenly hated the idea of being alone, but she was so tired, she needed sleep. The pillow was soft and felt good, and she always felt safer in bed. Even if she had been in bed when _that _happened. It was still safe. Warm.

As soon as those thoughts crossed her mind she felt tears running down her face. She hated it when that happened, but spur of the moment crying seemed to be something she kept encountering. The thoughts and memories could only express themselves as tears. She couldn't think of it in any other way.

She thought she heard something, but was too tired to open her eyes and look. Her body felt like it wanted to just shut down and sleep. She didn't have the energy to look up and decided to dismiss it. There was another noise. That she couldn't ignore. She was starting to get scared. She pulled her covers up as tightly as she could and squeezed her eyes shut, tears still escaping them. Another noise. That did it. She flung her covers off of her and sprang out of bed, half in terror, half in curiosity. He froze.

A gigantic man was stood before her. In her room. She began to shake and feel sick. It was worryingly reminiscent of last time-

This man was silent. Huge and bald, two lifeless eyes staring at her. Olose would have recognized him as Bear, but Vivli had been never had the misfortune of meeting him.

Bear began to advance on her. Vivli was frozen in fear. Her mind was racing and everything seemed to be happening in slow motion.

_Not again. This can't be happening to me again! Not again! Not again! Not again!_

Bear suddenly launched himself at Vivli, but at the last moment she leapt aside, causing him to crash into (and smash) her bed. Her nightdress swished around her ankles, and she suddenly had a feeling she wasn't dressed particularly practically for a fight.

She suddenly realized it though. She was thinking about fighting. No. She was thinking about winning. It was like her brain had snapped. She had had enough. In her entire life, she had never wanted to fight. She would only fight as a last resort (and lose, most of the time). But this time she was furious. She felt anger burn in her and a desire to destroy whoever she was facing, no matter what. And she didn't even know who he was. She dived for a nearby piece of smashed bed, and grabbed one of the legs, spinning it around as a crude staff. The huge figure rose, and turned towards her slowly. She focused her magical energies as he leapt at her.

Just in time Carbuncle burst from nowhere, impacting with the giant and sending him back. Bear swiped down at Carbuncle, but the small green creature dodged. Vivli almost smiled. She hadn't seen Carbuncle it what must be years. She had lost so much energy lately she had never felt up to summoning him. But now, in the heat of battle, with her burning anger, he had returned. Carbuncle threw himself into Bear with full might, but Bear merely slapped him aside. Carbuncle crashed into a nearby wardrobe, causing it to collapse in on itself. He seemed to smile to Vivli, and lunged at her. She dove out the way, and hit him as hard as she could with her staff. This resulted in a light tap that Bear didn't even feel. Vivli almost cursed herself as he spun around with another sweep. She ducked and leapt back. The enraged man charged her, and she swung aside again, using her small size to avoid him. He crashed against the wall, smashing the window, and turned around again. Vivli had shut her eyes and was chanting. He ran at her, but she didn't move. He got within range and raised his fist, ready to pound her into the ground.

"HOLY!" She screamed at the last moment. Bear saw a bright flash of white light, and before he knew it, he was rocketed out the rear wall into the street below.

Olose led the group as they burst into the room, having heard the sound. Zinkata and Voldos rushed over to the shattered window as Olose caught Vivli; she had fainted. Bootus stood behind his fellow Light Warriors as they looked into the street below. A huge figure looked back up at them, and then disappeared into the shadows.

"What happened here?" Zinkata cried, turning around.

"Looks like they attacked Vivli." Olose figured.

"Then why is she still alive?" Bootus inquired.

"Only one spell she knows can do damage like this. Holy." Zinkata stated. "But I thought she said she had been losing her ability to cast? Holy requires most of her energy."

"That would explain why she's unconscious." Olose guessed. "Remember the battle in the snow? When she used the last of her energies and even a bit more?" Zinkata shut his eyes, remembering. She had saved his life that day.

"Yeah. I remember." He said grimly, remembering how strongly he felt for her that day.

"Poor Viv." Bootus smirked. "Even when she wins a battle she ends up unconscious."

"She didn't win. Whoever that was escaped." Voldos pointed out.

"Why Vivli?" Zinkata asked suddenly. "Olose. I thought you said you were the threat."  
"I thought I was." Olose admitted. "If they're targeting Vivli, then they're targeting you guys as well. The Light Warriors."

"Why would they do that?" Bootus inquired. "You're the one they want."

"They place a lot on myth, and you're the legendary protectors of Vana'diel. You always keep it safe. You always have. They fear you as much as me, and that is _not _good."

"It's not?" Voldos questioned. "I thought them being afraid of us would be useful."

"It's not. It's much easier to battle an enemy who _isn't _trying to kill you." Olose pointed out. "Look. From now on we stick together. Let Vivli rest. Hope she wakes up. Being drained magically can seriously harm somebody; casting when you can't cast that much. It could be worse than we think." Everybody fell silent. "Give it time, we'll wait. Tomorrow we'll go and find my ship. We'll find out what they're up to. It's our only hope."

Leanne paced before Bear with an angry expression on her face.

"_She _defeated you?" Leanne asked skeptically. "I've seen her. She's so scrawny I doubt she could lift a weapon. And she hasn't cast a spell in years? Yet she stopped you?" Leanne froze, and stared at Bear. "I don't know why I bother. Next time I'll send a six year old girl. She can do a better job." Bear seemed to be completely without emotion, taking Leanne's abuse. "They'll be ready for an attack next time. We'll need to wait. Take care of Olose. Without him, they'll be weakened. Then we'll finish them off. No more mistakes. From now on, I'm overseeing things personally." Bear didn't move as Leanne spun and turned away. He watched her go in silent anger.


	9. Inside A Battle

**Author's Note: Sorry this update took a while, I got distracted. By playing Final Fantasy XI. That's right, I'm playing it again! On the Caitsith server this time, so if anybody's on there, message me! I'm still Vivli, so feel free to send me a tell!**

**Something strange happens in this chapter, but I like it. I think it's refreshing. Also a new character shows up; Remasa, who belongs to my friend Remmy. So I'm not taking credit for her! Enjoy!**

**CHAPTER IX**

"Great. Now where the hell am I?" Vivli asked herself, looking around the black void in confusion. "Not this again." She grumbled aloud, deciding there was no harm in talking to herself.

"Don't mistake this for a mere illusion." A surprise voice said. Yet it seemed charismatic, and kind. Vivli tensed up, slightly afraid. She spotted two glowing eyes watching her from the darkness. Yellow.

"W-who are you?" She stammered quite naturally.

"I think you know." The eyes stepped forwards, revealing a figure dressed in a long blue robe, with a large straw hat, and a face obscured by shadow, with only two eyes glowing forth.

"You're- You're a black mage." Vivli figured out quickly.

"Not any old black mage." The figure laughed. "_The _black mage."

"You're the original Light Warrior, aren't you?" Vivli guessed.

"Bingo." The black mage smiled, not that Vivli could tell. "The one who's soul you inherited. I guess, in a way, I am you."

"Nice to know." Vivli felt a bit uneasy. Especially since the black mage appeared to be male, and she most definitely was not.

"Reincarnation is a funny thing. I guess I'm like your spirit guide." The black mage explained.

"What are you here to guide me through?" Vivli asked cautiously.

"What do you think happened to you, Viv?" The black mage questioned.

"Well, I didn't have the magical energy to cast Holy, but I forced myself to cast it anyway. The result is that my body shut down, right?"

"Kind of." The black mage answered. "You know the rules of magic. It requires magical energy located within oneself. Once you cast a certain number of spells, you can't cast anymore. Or if a spell requires more energy than you have, you can't cast it. In theory." He began to explain. "But with enough will power, people have been able to cast minor spells even without energy, when their cause was strong enough. The result is usually fatal."

"Like when I cast cure to save Zin all those years ago." Vivli observed. "I simply had to. I couldn't let him die."

"Right. But a simple cure spell wasn't enough to kill you. You lived." The black mage told her. "But Holy? That's different."

"So I'm dead?" Vivli suddenly sounded very disappointed.

"Don't be stupid. You're not dead." The black mage told her. "Remember what I was saying about magical energies?"  
"I'm a mage. I'm kind of aware of the subject." Vivli grumbled.

"Well, as you get more experienced, your magical energies increase, right?"

"Well, yeah." Vivli agreed.

"When you stop practicing, those abilities don't _decrease_. You haven't got worse at casting, Viv. You just think you have." The black mage told her.

"I just think I have?" Vivli repeated puzzled.

Olose paced impatiently as Zinkata looked at the silent Vivli with concern.

"I don't think she's going to wake up." He said with a grave expression.

"Give her time." Olose decided. "Who knows what's going on? She's not dead at least."

"Found her!" Exclaimed Bootus as he thundered into the room.

"Found who?" Voldos asked curiously.

"A friend of mine from here." Bootus grinned. "A bit of an expert in this area.

"What's the problemaru?" Came a tiny voice. The others looked down with mild curiosity.

Vivli nervously shivered, knowing what the black mage was going to bring up.

"Look, let's not pretend here. Learning magic is like learning to ride a chocobo. You never forget." The black mage began.

"Never did learn to do that." Vivli grumbled.

"The reason you can't cast is because you're so traumatized you can't face it. Your white magic couldn't save you so you shut it off." The black mage explained. "See that?" He pointed across the black void to a huge floating orb encrusted in a thick black hideous material. "Within that is your white magic abilities. Trapped by your own trauma."

"What do I do?" Vivli whimpered. "I-I don't choose to cut them off. I just can't face them."  
"This is all symbolic Viv, I'm making it easy. You just have to tear down your inhibitions. You have to let go and let your skill return. The world is relying upon you."

"The others can-" Vivli began.

"They need you. The Light Warriors must stand united. What happened to you will never go away, but you're one of the few that are really pure of heart. Tell me, how did it feel good to win that battle today?"  
"It-" Vivli tried to say.

"No lies here. Tell the truth." The black mage demanded. Vivli burst into tears, suddenly unable to hide her emotions in anyway.

"I didn't want to!" She sobbed. "I didn't want to hurt him! Why did I have the right to hurt him? I shouldn't! I didn't want to!"

"Exactly." The black mage said calmly. "Everybody else, _everybody, _would have felt some pride, some achievement. But not you. You're pure of heart, like I said. You don't want to harm anybody. The Light Warriors need that. They need a true white mage who believes in what it means to be one."

"I-I know." Vivli croaked. "Somebody has to keep them alive." She tried to joke. The black mage didn't laugh.

"Then let go of what bothers you, Vivli. It's in the past. You have your friends now. What happened to you doesn't matter."

"But I _can't_! How can I just forget?" Vivli cried.

"Don't forget. Move on. It's different." The black mage explained. The blackness around the orb began to crack. "I warn you, Vivli, you've been holding back all this power for so long, I can't predict what a huge influx of white magic flowing through your body will do."

"Well, let's fine out." Vivli suddenly decided, a grim look of determination spreading across her face. She marched at the orb and began to tear away the black casing with strength she could only possess in her own mindscape. White light shone underneath.

The tarutaru, fairly large as far as tarus went, but still short, overlooked Vivli curiously.

"This is strange." She decided. "She should be dead, if what you say is true. Or fine. I can't figure outaru what's happening."

"Hey! She's twitching!" Olose quickly pointed out.

"Very strange." The tarutaru said to herself. Vivli's eyes began to glow white. "Thataru looks like a hugey-wugey escape of magical energy." She observed just before Vivli suddenly burst into a spectacular white light, flooding out all over her body. Everybody fell silent in awe.

Vivli woke and sprang up in bed. She looked around and couldn't see anybody. She felt like she had been asleep for days. Her body felt strange. She could feel her old power within her, but her entire body felt a little different. The white magic flooding over her had changed her body. She looked at her nightdress. The usually light blue silk garment had turned white. Her skin felt odd too. Very _very _soft. She had soft skin anyway, or so she had always been told, but now it felt softer than the silk she wore. Like it had been completely renewed by the magic outburst. Just like it had bleached her nightdress. She shook her head in confusion and slowly got up. She let out a frustrated sigh as her long blonde hair flopped in front of her face, and she pushed it back.

Her eyes went wide a moment later.

_Blonde?_

Vivli sprang up and ran to the nearest mirror, finding one by her bedside. She looked in it in shock, to see that her hair had completely turned blonde.

"AH! My _hair_! What happened to my hair?" She screamed in shock, pulling her hair down.

"She's awake." Came the casual voice of Bootus, who was apparently sat down not far away. "I told you she'd react in a girly way."  
"I'm not being girly!" Vivli shrieked.

"Oh, relax, Viv. Now you're just six layers of make-up, a pink mini-skirt, and some pom poms away from being ready for your role in the next ballista." Bootus joked.

"Oh shut up!" Vivli snapped. "That's an unfair stereotype to blondes! I mean, you realize people with blonde hair aren't instantly girly right?"

"Geez, she's been blonde five minutes and she's already defending everybody in the same group. Typical Vivli." Voldos laughed.

"Sorry for sticking up for people!" Vivli shouted in confusion.  
"At least now you have an excuse for all the stupid things you say." Bootus pointed out.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Vivli cried.

"Nothing." Bootus quickly said.

"Looking good Viv." Olose interjected.

"Good? _Good? _How did this happen?" Vivli screamed, pulling at her own hair.

"I can answer thataru." Came a voice.

"GAH! Who the hell are you?" Vivli yelled, clearly very stressed and confused.

"Oh right. This is Remmy." Bootus pointed out.

"Remasa." Remmy corrected. "Remmy is the friendly version."

"So what happened to my _hair_?" Vivli repeated.

"White magic is very powerful. It suddenly flowed through you with the result of essentially bleaching it. It's no big dealaru." Remmy explained with a sigh.

"So, it'll go back to normal, right?" Vivli asked nervously.

"I doubt it. It sort of bleached the roots." Remmy told Vivli. Vivli let out an angry cry. "Geez, you never warned me she was this vainy-wainy while we were waiting for her to wake uparu."

"I am not vainy-wainy!" Vivli yelled, before catching her own words and looking puzzled. "Vain. I meant vain." She corrected, before shaking her head. "I'm just…confused! Okay! This was unexpected!" She pushed her hair back and tried not to think about it. "How long have I been asleep for?"

"A day. Give or take." Olose answered. "We've lost time, and Bastok is getting closer and closer to war."

"Luckily, in that time, we managed to secure a ship." Zinkata put in. "While Remmy took care of you."

"Urr, thanks." Vivli said to Remmy nervously.

"No problemaru!" Remmy smiled.

"Ship? Aw, I hate the sea." Vivli moaned.

"Ah. That makes this easier then." Olose took his turn to sound nervous.

"What do you mean?" Vivli asked suspiciously.

"Well, we're not exactly taking a _sailing _ship."

There was a sudden roar and Vivli rushed to the window to see a small black airship fly down and land in the street, Cid waving from his place onboard. Vivli's eyes went wide.

"Oh no." She muttered. She spotted the name. _Raven III,_ the Light Warrior's old airship. "Oh no!"

"It's the fastest way, and we can search better from the air!" Olose tried to explain.

"I'm doomed." Vivli muttered, staring at the airship, her old nemesis.

"We need to begin to get ready to leave." Voldos decided.

"Urm, where are we going again?" Vivli asked.

"Geez Viv, I know you're blonde, but there's no reason to ask a dumb question like that." Bootus laughed.

"Oh, shut up!" Vivli snapped.

"We're going to head to the location where my ship was apparently raised." Olose explained. "If this is a trap for me, which I think it is, we're going to go and spring it."

"Walk straight into the trap? Nice plan!" Vivli sarcastically mumbled.

"Best way to find out what they're up to." Remmy interjected.

"See? She agrees." Voldos smiled.

"It's true." Remmy agreed. "And you can all handle itaru. You're the Light Warriors."

"You're coming to." Olose pointed out. Remmy rose a tiny eyebrow.  
"I am?" She repeated.

"We need you Remmy." Bootus explained.

"What for?" Vivli asked, confused.

"Nobody's been through what you've been through Viv." Bootus told her. "We want Remmy on hand to make sure you're okay."

"I'm up for itaru. It sounds like an adventure, and I can take care of myself." Remmy said confidently.

"I can't." Vivli whimpered, suddenly sounding a little afraid.

"It's okay Viv." Bootus told her calmly. "I'm sure you could beat them away with your pom poms."

"Dammit! I am _not _a cheerleader!" Vivli screamed. The others shared a laugh.

"Okay, we have until tomorrow morning." Zinkata decided. "We're all weary from staying up and making sure Vivli was okay." Vivli blushed guiltily. "So I want us to stay at the inn tonight, make our final preparations, upgrade our weapons and such, and then we'll depart tomorrow." The others nodded and turned away.

Later that evening Vivli had headed down into the small kitchen area the innkeeper had allowed them to use. It was late, but she had slept so much she couldn't get back to sleep, and was getting hungry. Hungry was an odd sensation for her, being as skinny as she was, but she was glad her appetite was returning. She caught odd glimpses of her reflection in various pots, and felt very strange, self consciously touching her new blonde hair. She now wore a head band to hold it back and had tied it into a ponytail, but it still felt particularly strange.

She suddenly let out a yelp as something moved by her. She staggered back in fear. Remasa rose a curious eyebrow.

"What?" She asked. Vivli caught her breath, and stared at Remmy.

"What are you doing there?" She cried in fear.

"It's not my fault you didn't look down." Remmy stated. "You never did pay attention to what you were doing." Vivli stayed silent at this. "Why didn't you tell the others we knew each other?"

"Why didn't you?" Vivli shot back confidently.

"Because I always tried to teach you to make decisions on your own." Remmy replied. "You were never very good at that."

"Well, what was with the taru voice you put on? After the hours lecturing me and training me to speak properly, I'd of thought you'd do the same." Vivli smirked slightly.

"Just an act to blend in." Remmy said calmly. Vivli looked over her old teacher.

"Is this coincidence then?" Vivli asked. "Us being together again."  
"Nonsense. I knew Bootus was your friend, so I thought if I befriended him I might see you again. You've made quite a name for yourself, but you haven't changed much." Remmy smirked, before pulling out a large rubber spider. Vivli shrieked for a moment, before realising what it was.

"Hey! That's mean!" Vivli took a cautious step to take a closer look. "I recognise that. You used to try and cure my phobia with that." She smiled.

"Yeah. It never really worked." Remmy laughed. Vivli looked at her old mentor. Remasa had trained her back in the monastery in Windurst. A powerful white mage who had journeyed to Windurst from Bastok to help with the training of newer white mages. She didn't like Windurst, but had come for a few years, and Vivli remembered her well. Remmy had been quite hard on Vivli at some times, trying to drill out a few of her character flaws, but never quite succeeding. "So, why did you ignore me?"

"I don't know." Vivli replied. "I just- everything was so confusing. It was easier to pretend I didn't know you."

"Am I missing something?" Olose smirked from the corner.

"GAH!" Vivli cried. "Is everybody in here and I don't know about it?"

"Oh yeah." Olose grinned. "We're throwing you a surprise birthday party."  
"It's not my birthday." Vivli muttered.

"Well, that's why it's a surprise." Olose laughed. Remmy chuckled. Vivli folded her arms in frustration at the predictability. Olose took a bite out of a sandwich he had made, and walked out of the kitchen. "Get some rest for tomorrow you two." He told them as he left. "Things could get interesting."

Vivli watched him go before Remasa spoke up.

"Gonna tell him then?" She asked.

"Sorry, what?" Vivli replied, sounding more than a little flustered.

"You know, ask him out." Remmy smiled.

"What?" Vivli blushed brightly.

"Oh come on, I can read you like a book. You really fancy him." Remmy grinned.

"I-I don't! I did, b-b-but that was a long time ago!" Vivli stammered.

"Sure. Sure." Remmy smiled, walking out the kitchen. "See you tomorrow Viv." Vivli watched, red faced, and completely shocked. She turned back to the kitchen, and tried to remember what she had been planning to do.


	10. The FFXI Chronicles Christmas Special

**Author's Note: THIS IS KINDA IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THIS CHAPTER Right, hopefully you'll read this now, because I imagine some people like to skip the notes. This chapter does _not _fit into the storyline. It takes place some time after the story (since Vivli has blonde hair in it) and is my own little way of wishing everybody a Merry Christmas (or whatever you like to celebrate): The Final Fantasy XI Chronicles Christmas Special. It's meant to be more light-hearted than before, and as a result, I tried to make the villains even more comical, and a surprise appearance by an old cast member in there somewhere!**

**Two of the characters, Logan and Aaron, are names from one of TheFrogKiller's stories, but I changed them slightly for a light hearted Christmas adventure. I hope you don't mind how silly they behave! It's all in good fun, right? Oh, and I hope somebody gets one of the references in here. Well, the only reference really. If you do, I'll be very happy!**

**On a more serious note, I'm thinking of looking into opening a forum that the main page kept talking about. Is anybody interested in having a forum? I mean, one for FFXI fanfics in general? Or the FFXI Chronicles series (it's a bit vain to assume people would want a forum just for my stories!). Apparently author's can open them now, and it might be a nice way for writers and reviewers to get to know each other. Or actually speculate and discuss on the plot of this series, if people are interested, since I'm always writing (and taking ideas, so you could suggest things too). What do people think? Please let me know if you think it's a good idea!**

**(Oh, and on a side note, this is the first chapter not named after a Final Fantasy track, but the last one was an altered title, the actual one being 'Inside A Boss Battle' from the remade FF1, I had to change it. It's hard naming chapters that limited, so I may have to break convention soon).**

**THE FINAL FANTASY XI CHRONICLES CHRISTMAS SPECIAL**

Voldos sighed as he waited for Bootus. The two were stood in a small shop in Bastok, shopping for presents for the Starlight Celebration; Zinkata and Vivli were doing the same elsewhere. After all, it was difficult to buy presents secretly for each other when you were always together. Voldos raised an eyebrow as Bootus walked over to him, grinning.

"I've got Vivli a present she's simply going to _love_." He said with a grin that could only mean that Vivli was going to _hate _her present.

"I'm almost afraid to ask what it is." Voldos grumbled.

"Pom poms!" Exclaimed Bootus, holding up a pair of fluffy white pom poms. Voldos couldn't hide a smirk.

"Oh, she's going to kill you." He laughed.

"With what?" Bootus shrugged. "It'll be hilarious. Even got a pink miniskirt to throw in."

"You might as well make out your will now. You're _dead_." Voldos laughed.

"There's nothing she can do." Bootus smirked. "Besides, she'll find it funny. One day. Eventually."

"Well, I'd rather not annoy her into plotting to kill me, so I still need to find her a present." Voldos decided.

"Oh, just get something girly and be done with it." Bootus told him.

"I said I wanted to _not _annoy her." Voldos reminded him.

"Oh, right. Sorry, new concept to me." Bootus joked.

Vivli picked up and browsed through one of the books as she heard Zinkata walk over to her.

"We're not going to find anything in here." Vivli sighed. "Bootus wouldn't know a book if it fell on his head and the only title Voldos is interested in is _Vana'diel's Greatest Chat Up Lines_, but he's married now, so that's useless."

"I found one for Bootus." Zinkata laughed.

"Oh?" Vivli asked, her tail perking up showing her curiosity. Zinkata held it up and Vivli's face fell. "You cannot get him that!" She cried.  
"Why not? He'd love it!" Zinkata grinned.

"_101 Blonde Jokes? _Who do you think he'll use them on?" Vivli shrieked.

"That's not my fault, is it?" Zinkata mocked.

"Ziiiiiiiiiin!" Vivli screamed. "Don't!"

"Well, you led us in here." Zinkata pointed out.

"I just wanted to look at books." Vivli sighed.

"You realise the idea of Starlight shopping is you shop for _other people_, right?" Zinkata explained.

"Yes! Fine! Well, what are we going to get Bootus and Voldos, then? What do you buy two people like that?" She shrugged.

"Shallow graves?" Zinkata joked. Vivli laughed.

"Just buying them a coat will do. It's _freezing_." Vivli decided.

"Viv. We're in Bastok. In, you know, the desert?" Zinkata pointed out.

"It's still cold!" Vivli grumbled. "Fine. What about a new weapon or something?" She suggested.

"Bit boring Viv. Plus you're a white mage, you're not supposed to encourage killing." Zinkata reminded the little mithra.

"Maybe I'll get Bootus a razor. He can shave that stupid beard off." Vivli tried.

"I don't know. The image of a galka without a beard is actually quite scary." Zinkata laughed.

"Well, what _can _we get them then?" Vivli whined. "Altana, you're impossible sometimes."

"No, _they're _impossible." Zinkata pointed out. "I'm just helping you notice that."

"Every day you remind me more and more of Bootus, and that _cannot _be good." Vivli sighed.

Voldos continued to look for presents, getting wearier at the pain that was Starlight shopping.

"Found anything for Vivli yet?" Bootus asked.

"No. But Zin will like the shield I got him, at least." Voldos replied.

"What about these? Earrings?" Bootus suggested.

"Mithra don't have ordinary ears!" Voldos pointed out. "And I think their ears are far too sensitive for normal earrings."

"Point." Bootus conceded. "I don't see why we're bothering anyway. The moogles give out plenty of presents for everybody."

"Yeah, but it's not personally from us, is it? This is an act of friendship, you see?" Voldos explained to Bootus, who simply held up the pom poms. "At least, it's supposed to be." He added in a grumble.

Vivli let out another sigh.

"I can't believe you bought Bootus the book of blonde jokes!" Vivli protested.

"Well, what did you get him?" Zinkata asked, arms folded.

"It's not my fault they don't sell brain cells!" Vivli cried. "Or a _Why White Mages Are Better Than Dark Knights _book."

"That's because they're not." Zinkata taunted.

"Are too!" Vivli yelled at him childishly. Zinkata rolled his eyes. "Besides, you didn't get anything for Voldos!"

"_101 Things Not To Say To A Girl _should not be a present." Zinkata criticised.

"Hey, it's a good present for him. About time he learned." Vivli replied, folding her arms. The two were stood outside of the bookshop now. Vivli shivered slightly and looked up to the sky. "The moogles will be coming soon. Wow. It must be so much fun, giving presents out to everybody, seeing how happy it makes them."

"You'd hate it Viv, they're getting around by airship." Zinkata grinned.

"Oh." Vivli sounded disappointed, remembering how airsick she got. "I wonder what they'll give me this year?"

"Something to shut you up?" Zinkata grumbled.

A loud slap echoed across Bastok.

Elsewhere, a figure plotted darkly, before his gaze rose up to the sky. Another was sat behind him, doing a crossword. But it was an evil crossword. It had words in it such as 'murder', 'evil' and 'lawyer'. The man doing the crossword looked up to the other, who seemed deep in thought.

"Gee, Logan, what do you want to do tonight?" He asked, obviously bored with his (evil) crossword.

"The same thing we do every night Aaron." Came Logan's calm reply, before he spun around with an evil glare in his eyes. "Try to take over the world!"

"Oh. _That_." Aaron replied, his light brown hair wavering in the wind. "So, what are we going to try this time?"  
"It's Starlight Eve." Logan grinned. "Tonight, all the foolish adventurers are expecting their little presents from the moogles."

"Urm, aren't we adventurers?" Aaron asked.

"Yes." Sighed Logan.

"So are we foolish?" Aaron questioned.

"No!" Logan snapped.

"So, we're not expecting presents then?" Aaron sounded disappointed.

"Of course we are!" Logan yelled.  
"But we're not the foolish adventurers, so how can we?" Aaron found it necessary to ask.

"Look, shut up!" Logan cried. "Tonight we shall make sure they don't get their presents, because we'll have them!"

"We will?" Aaron seemed puzzled.  
"Yes. We'll board the airship and take the moogles prisoner, taking the presents for ourselves." Logan told him triumphantly. "And then, when we have every adventurer begging at our feet, we'll demand they hand us Vana'diel on a silver platter!"

"What? So we have to give back the presents?" Aaron sounded disappointed.

"Once the world is ours, we'll have all the presents we want!" Logan announced, bursting into evil laughter, which Aaron joined in with, simply wanting to be included.

It was some time later that Vivli emerged from her moghouse with a weary sigh, having finished the Starlight shopping a few hours ago and now working on the next vital stage of present giving.

"I hate wrapping presents!" She exclaimed. Bootus turned to see her and laughed.

"You've still got some sticky tape in your hair." He pointed out. "I don't even want to know how that happened."  
"It was difficult, okay?" She whined. Bootus walked over and pulled it out. "_Owwwwww!_" Vivli screamed in pain.

"Haha, I got myself a few blonde hairs." The galka observed, looking at the sticky tape. "Does that make you less of a stupid blonde now?"

"Stop bickering you two." Zinkata shot. "We'll exchange presents when the moogles show up."

"Aren't they meant to have come by now?" Vivli asked, slightly disappointed.

"The airship has been circling for almost an hour." Voldos observed.

"Maybe something's gone wrong." Vivli suggested.

"We could always check it out in the _Raven_." Zinkata mentioned.

"Urm, on second thoughts, let's stay on the ground." Vivli said with a fake smile.

Minutes later and the _Raven _tore through the air. Vivli was huddled at the back of the deck, looking very green.

"I hate you guys." She whimpered, clutching a bucket and feeling as if any moment now that lovely Starlight Dinner she had enjoyed was going to be escaping from her body.

"We're approaching the other airship now!" Cid cried from the controls.

"Right! We'll lower the rope ladder and board that way." Zinkata decided.  
"Hate you _so _much." Vivli managed to say, staggering to her feet and looking at the huge drop between the airships.

Logan rose an eyebrow as somebody vomited all over the deck of their commandeered ship.

"Logan?" Aaron began to shout, running out on deck. "There's another ship above us!"

"Yes, I did notice." Logan grumbled, looking at the vomit. "They must be coming to free the moogles! Ready the trap!"

"Oh, right, the trap!" Aaron snapped his fingers and ran towards the bridge.

There was a loud thud as Bootus landed on deck, followed by two much lighter thuds, and one barely audible one. The four Light Warriors drew their weapons, and prepared to take down just whatever happened to be threatening the world this time. They eyed up Logan, a fairly tall man with tangled black hair and signs of stubble. He either grew it to look cool, or was just too lazy to shave. Either way, these thoughts weren't the immediately important ones to the Light Warriors.

"Who are you?" Zinkata cried.

"And where are the moogles and my presents?" Vivli added. "Urm, I mean, our presents." She added as she caught Bootus's look to her.

"Tied up below deck." Logan grinned. "And unless you surrender Bastok to us, there will be no Starlight Celebration for _anybody_!" He cackled evilly while the Light Warriors glanced to each other.

"What makes him think he can stand against us?" Voldos asked with a cocked eyebrow.  
"Hey, I've been trying to take over the world every night for years, I'm experienced!" Logan explained.

"Yet you've never succeeded? Makes you a failure in my book." Bootus pointed out.

"Oh, shut up!" Logan snapped. "Aaron! Deploy the trap!"

"Trap?" Vivli squeaked.

"To hell with traps! We'll take this guy!" Zinkata cried as the four took fighting stances.

"Urm, why do we seem to be stood on a net?" Was the last thing Voldos managed to say before Aaron pulled a lever and a net snapped up around them, trapping them and leaving them hanging in the air. Logan gave Aaron a signal and he cut the rope, causing the four trapped Light Warriors to crash down onto the deck.

"Owwww!" Vivli whined. "It's cutting into my skin!"

"How do you think I feel?" Bellowed Voldos, crushed under Bootus.

"You didn't complain last night." Bootus commented. The other three Light Warriors looked horrified for a moment, and shuddered. "Joking!" Bootus exclaimed sometime afterwards.

Logan eyed up his bickering prey, and laughed.

"At last! Now there is nobody left to oppose me! Nobody!" He cackled.

"Urm, correct me if I'm wrong, and I often told I am, although at that point I generally ask how the person telling me I'm wrong doesn't know he's wrong, because if he's wrong, and he calls me wrong, then I'm right and he's wrong, therefore none of us can really be too sure who was right and wrong, but why does defeating four people mean there's nobody left to oppose you?" Logan growled, and slowly turned.

"Crazy Steve!" Vivli exclaimed happily.

"Aaron!" Bellowed Logan. "I told you to take out the airship pilot!"

"I know." Aaron replied. "But he just kept talking until I gave up!"

"Now, you see, I'm not saying that there's not only four people in the world, because it's possible I'm just not very good at counting. I mean, I think I know maths, but who's to say I'm right? I mean, one add one equals two, but who taught me that? And who taught the person who taught me that? What if the person who started teaching in the first place was wrong, and one add one does not equal two? Then we're all wrong! So maybe there are only four people in the world, and I can't count, because the person who taught me was taught by a person who was taught by a person who was taught by a person who was taught by a person who was taught by a person who was wrong, and there's no way to be certain, but _assuming _I have counted correctly, only assuming mind, then there are lots of other people to stop you." Crazy Steve didn't seem to need to stop for a breath, the bald hume looking a bit puzzled at the apparent confusion now on Logan's face.

"Dammit! Aaron! Kill this guy!" Logan ordered. Aaron drew a sword and began to walk towards Crazy Steve.

"Why are you pointing that sword at me?" Crazy Steve asked. "If it is a sword. I mean, it could be a shield. Who knows anything these days? How can we rely on our teachers?"

"You can't be seriously stupid enough to wonder why I'd point this sword at you, can you?" Aaron asked with a smile. Crazy Steve stayed silent for a moment, and then in a blur grabbed Aaron's arm and broke it, before driving the sword he now had into Aaron's foot. Aaron didn't have time to scream before Crazy Steve back fisted him, knocking him out cold. Logan raised an eyebrow.

"Actually I was wondering why you would bother when I could win so easily." Crazy Steve told him. "Although, in retrospect, I shouldn't have expected you to know that, considering the flaws in the education system I've been noticing as of late."

"Yay!" Vivli cried. "Go Crazy Steve!"

"Fan girl." Bootus shot.

"Oh, shut up!" Vivli replied, trying to hit him but unable to in the net. Logan looked around in panic and sprinted towards the end of the deck, where the rope ladder leading up to the _Raven _was.

He skidded to a stop as a sword was levelled at him. Zinkata grinned.

"Next time you imprison people in a net, make sure they don't have _bladed weapons _first." He smirked. Logan's eyes went wide.

"Urm. So. Starlight spirit and all. You going to let me go?" He asked hopefully, before Crazy Steven smashed him on the back of the head and he dropped down unconscious.

"I guess not." Voldos laughed. Crazy Steve smirked to the gang.

It was several hours later when the moogles had finally completed their rounds, and the Light Warriors smiled at their new presents. Of course, they hadn't opened them yet, but instead had all gathered together, to exchange the gifts they had given each other. Vivli, obviously the most excited about Starlight, got to go first. But before she could open her presents, something small and white landed on her nose.

"What the-?" She began.

"Snow?" Zinkata asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's snowing!" Vivli suddenly exclaimed.

"Snowing? In Bastok?" Voldos questioned with a puzzled look.

"It's a Starlight miracle!" Vivli grinned. "That's why it's been so cold lately! We get snow! A white Starlight! Even in the desert!" Vivli smiled to herself. "Those elvaans in San d'Oria are going to be _so _jealous." Bootus and Zinkata smirked as Voldos folded his arms.

"Well, at least _we _have nice forests instead of stupid desert." He pointed out.

"Well, go on then, Viv, open your present." Bootus prompted, barely able to hide his anticipation at her reaction.

All was silent across Bastok for a few seconds, before one word tore through the city, awakening every citizen.

"_BOOTUS!"_


	11. The Nightmare Begins

**Author's Note: Sorry it's been so long since I updated, but here's the next chapter. I tried to focus on the plotline in the past a bit this chapter, since that's been back seated a bit lately, but there is plenty set in the present. Things go very weird this chapter, but I hope it works out okay for most people. If not, be sure to let me know!**

**If not by review, then check out my profile for**** the new forum link. I've decided it's good for discussing any FFXI story, FFXI story aspects, or FFXI writing questions, although if you want to make me feel special by discussing FFXI Chronicles story points, feel more than free, either speculating on the plot or making suggestions. I hope everybody will feel at ease to post there, rather than just the few reviewers I have, although I really don't know how many people are reading this story. At least, you can post about the bizarreness of this chapter there, since things get very strange at the end! I hope the forum does get some use, although I'm not sure if it will.**

**Anyway, I hope I'm not missing anything. It's been ages since I updated the main plotline, so it's possible I've forgotten something I was going to mention, but here it is anyway. Hope you enjoy!**

** Also, as an edit, earlier this chapter was glitchy, stuck fully underlined, because I tried to post the link to the forums. Sadly, won't let me, so I'm afraid you'll just have to access it through my profile, but please do, if enough people post, it can become something very worthwhile!  
**

**CHAPTER X**

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS EARLIER**_

"Oh. You are back." Arcadia said, sounding quite decisively unimpressed as she looked over Aura. "Brought a friend too?"

"Silence." Leanne ordered, opening Arcadia's cell. "Come with us." Arcadia sighed.

"Of course." She muttered.

The three walked through the dungeon, Arcadia staying forcibly focused as to not appear unnerved by her surroundings. Aura began to talk.

"You know, there's an old legend, Arcadia." She stated. "A legend that happens to be true. The dark god Prometheus, long ago, angered by Altana's glorious creations, created his own blight upon Vana'diel. His own way to fight back against Altana."

"The beastmen." Arcadia said simply. "I know the legends."

"No, you don't." Aura replied with a smile. "The beastmen were but one of Prometheus's weapons. He wanted something more personal. Something to infect Altana's creations from inside and twist them into evil monsters."

"The curse of lycanthropy." Leanne put in. "The curse of the werewolves." Arcadia let her eyebrow raise.  
"The werewolves were a creation of Prometheus?" She asked.

"Yes. Designed to bring about the fall of Altana's beings." Aura told her. "But, as things happened, Altana found a way to fight back. She fought back the only way she knew how."

"With compassion." Leanne said bitterly.

"She turned one of the werewolves against his number. He rebelled and foiled their plot." Aura explained.

"Plot?" Arcadia questioned.

"Aura has skipped an important fact." Leanne answered. "Prometheus created two items. An altar and an orb. When the two were combined, a member of any race could touch it and that race would be utterly obliterated." Arcadia's eyes went wide. She couldn't believe there was an item of such power.

"That is impossible." She managed to stammer. "It has to be!"

"It is not." Leanne smiled. "Yet the werewolves couldn't put it to use. Altana again interfered. She twisted her own werewolf to fight back. She twisted the altar so that it would obliterate the entire race _except for the person touching it_. She planned to have the werewolf she had twisted to touch it, and obliterate Prometheus's wolves from existence."

"It nearly worked too. Except, as Leanne said, this werewolf felt compassion." Aura told Arcadia.

"He felt he didn't have the right to kill a race. So the werewolves survived." Leanne added in. "Quickly, the werewolves became divided, between tribes loyal to Prometheus and tribes loyal to Altana."

"Good and evil." Arcadia noted.

"We are not evil, Lady Arcadia, we are simply fulfilling our purpose." Leanne stated angrily.

"We?" Arcadia questioned. "Oh Altana, _you _are the werewolves!"

"Clever girl." Leanne sighed sarcastically. "The temple knights wiped out the last of Altana's wolves, but not Prometheus's."

"Not _all _of them." Arcadia smiled.

"No. Not all." Leanne grumbled. "You see, it was prophesised by Altana that if the werewolves ever attempted to use the altar, her warrior would return and destroy us. After years of searching, we have recovered the altar, but there is a problem."

"Olose." Arcadia laughed. "You think he's Altana's warrior. The one to defeat you."

"We have still not located the orb, but it would spell our own doom if we did so while Olose was present." Leanne explained. "The legends name Altana's warrior the Two Bladed Wolf. If that is Olose, he is the greatest threat to our organisation in the whole of Vana'diel. I'm sure you know Olose's preferred fighting style."

"Two swords." Arcadia replied, almost amused by Leanne's fear.

"He shall die, be assured!" Leanne snapped. "And then Aura here will help us wipe every hume from existence."  
"You see, they need somebody to touch the altar. When I do, every hume will die but me. I shall be the last, the most special, the last flawless human in the world!" Aura grinned. Arcadia eyed her angrily.

"You would wipe out your own race to appease your vanity? You sicken me!" She spat. Aura slapped Arcadia, hard.

"Do not speak to me that way!" She yelled angrily. Leanne smirked.

"Calm, Aura. Soon Arcadia and all humes will be dead, then I shall find pawns of the other races to do the same for me." Aura did not seem to notice she was being referred to as a 'pawn' by Leanne. "I hope you've enjoyed today's lesson, Lady Arcadia, I always enjoy knowing my prisoners must squirm in horror at what we are planning to do before their death." Arcadia looked up slowly, her cheek red.

"Aura, you seem to know a lot about jewellery." She stated oddly. "Tell me, what is this hairpin made out of?" She removed it slowly.

"Silver?" Aura answered, confused. Leanne's eyes went wide as Arcadia stabbed it into her shoulder. Leanne yelped as steam hissed from her wound. Arcadia spun around and slapped Aura, who was unprepared and unable to handle the pain. She threw Aura to the ground with all the strength she had and ran as fast as she could, Leanne screaming in rage behind her.

An ironic point is that just at that moment Olose Sampson was thinking about how lucky it was he had finally allowed Arcadia to wear silver jewellery again. For a very long time, he had been worried about her with silver; after all, accidents do happen. But lately, he had become more relaxed, knowing that nothing bad could happen. Now he knew werewolves were back in the world, and with sinister motivations, he was glad. At least she had some form of weapon against them, if they came for her. He tapped the linkshell he was holding. No reply. It was possible he was too late.

"What's wrong, sir?" Phabrizoe asked curiously.

"I think they've got Arcadia." Olose replied bluntly. "We escaped them here, but there's no telling how far those tunnels run for. I think they've got her and are hiding her somewhere."

"You checked the news linkshell, Cap'n?" Trevia questioned. Olose shook his head. "There was a fire from a manor in Tavnazia. I'd put money on it that that's your home."

"I thought you weren't a gambling woman?" Jeren inquired.

"It's not gambling. I'm certain." Trevia replied. Olose sighed.

"Then that's it. They've got her." He grumbled. "Meaning there's only one course of action."

"We get her back?" Trevia grinned.

"Oh. I wanted some lunch." Suse moaned as a smile spread across Olose's face.

A massive beast leapt onto the roof of the dungeon corridor, scurried along it and grabbed Arcadia as she fled moving so fast she had barely been able to watch it.

"Nice try!" Leanne growled in werewolf form. "You're far feistier than I had predicted. No matter. Time to being the next phase of my little plan. Olose's escape didn't surprise me. If he was the one we feared he was, we would never stop him so easily." Leanne let herself smile. "But all heroes have a weakness." Arcadia fumbled for the linkpearl hanging from a bracelet on her wrist to warn Olose, and Leanne's mile grew wider. "I'll be taking that, thank you." She growled, still in her beast form, snapping the pearl from Arcadia's wrist.

Olose suddenly felt the linkshell he was holding vibrate.

"It's her!" He cried in surprise

"No, it isn't." Trevia warned

"Then let's have a chat with the wolves, shall we?" Olose stated fiercely as he realised it wasn't Arcadia contacting him. Olose willed the pearl to answer, and suddenly heard Leanne's wolf-like voice.

"I will speak only to Olose Sampson." Came the first order.

"Oh, will you now?" Olose bitterly replied. "Hello!"

"We have your associate." Leanne roared. "You will surrender or she will die!" Olose paused for a moment, deep in thought. He turned to his crew, who eyed him with anticipation. It was a no win scenario. Surely he must surrender?

"No." He stated suddenly, a look of solid determination upon his face.

"What?" Leanne almost whispered.

"I said no." Olose said with a mixture of anger and eerie calm.

"What do you mean, no?" Leanne asked, baffled.

"It means no!" Olose began to formulate a plan in his head. "Because this is what _I'm _going to do. I'm going to stop you. I'm going to rescue my wife from the middle of a werewolf fortress, and then I'm going to save the world, and then, just to finish off, I'm going to wipe every last _stinking _werewolf out of existence!"

"Except yourself." Suse put in, to totally ruin the drama. Olose sighed.

"Yes, I think that's a given, Suse." He grumbled.

"But you have no weapons that can harm us, no defences that can stop us, no plan." Leanne said to him, completely lost, but more than a little on edge.

"Yeah, and doesn't that just scare you to death?" Olose grinned, before smashing the linkshell into the ground, cutting off all communication.

Leanne blinked, and turned to a shocked looking Aura, who had just caught up with them, exhausted from running down the corridor. A smile began to edge across Arcadia's face, despite the fact she was helplessly held in the arms of the wolf.

"So, what now?" She asked. "He is not going to surrender."

"Kill her!" Aura yelled, angry from Arcadia's earlier escape.

"No." Leanne stated. "She is still our final bargaining chip. He will not let her die."  
"But he's going to attack us!" Aura cried in despair. "What are we going to do?"

"He's just one man. We'll stop him, and kill him. He doesn't even know where we are." Leanne laughed.

Phabrizoe took a step towards Olose.

"That was a very dramatic speech sir, but we don't actually know _where _they are." The tarutaru pointed out. Olose froze.

"But we can find out." He decided. "Linkshells have magical signals right? Or else you wouldn't be able to talk to each other. A magical vortex capable of transmitting sound and thought. That's how we talk to each other, right?"

"Yes, that's the basic principle." Phabrizoe agreed. "Why?"

"Well, then can't we just widen the magical signal into a teleportation spell? Teleport ourselves directly to the source?" Olose asked.

"Two problems. Firstly, you smashed the linkshell." Phabrizoe pointed out, to which Olose allowed a guilty look to cross his face. "Secondly, it would take a being of supreme magical power, capable of almost godly magical skill to be powerful enough to do that."

"Well then, firstly, we get another one. Secondly, I know just the person." Olose grinned.

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS LATER**_

"I'd forgotten how much I hate airship travel." Vivli sighed, feeling particularly shaky as the _Raven III _departed Bastok.

"Oh, calm down, we'll be at our location soon, and we can begin to sort out this mess." Zinkata pointed out.

"Oh great. Then what? Go back to our lives?" Vivli miserably sighed. Everybody suddenly fell silent.

"We pull this off, Viv." Bootus finally spoke up. "We'll be heroes again. We can go to whatever lives we like." Everybody looked at the galka, who seemed to have become gentle, and kind. "I'm sure they'll let you on the ballista cheerleading squad. Don't worry." He added with a grin and a loud laugh.

"_Bootus_!" Vivli screamed as the galka laughed uncontrollably. Cid, who had taken up his old job flying the airship, could be seen rolling his eyes. Vivli sighed and stomped below deck. Olose laughed and followed her.

He paused by the doorway, grinning, as Vivli sat down.

"He's right you know." Olose told her.

"Yeah, I know. We can go wherever we want and do whatever we want to do if we manage to stop this." Vivli sighed. "It just feels a bit hollow."

"No, I meant, you'd be a good cheerleader." Vivli shot Olose a look that could destroy armies, and he laughed. "What? It's a compliment. Cheerleaders have to be pretty, right?" She got up and sighed.

"I appreciate the effort, Olose, I'm just not in the mood to be cheered up." She whined.

"Oh come on, you were fine yesterday." Olose told her.

"Yeah, but then I got thinking." Vivli explained.  
"About what?" Vivli suddenly blushed. She hadn't expected that.

"Urm. You." She admitted. _Stupid Remmy_, her mind added.

"What about me?" Olose asked, clearly excited at the prospect.

"How you've changed. Your face, I mean. All those years ago, yet it still seems odd. Picturing the same person under a different face." She said.

"What she means is, she wasn't sure if she still had feelings for you, but when she tried to explore that, she found them conflicting with her feelings for the old you." Remmy explained as she walked in.  
"_Remmy!_" Vivli cried, blushing even brighter, but knowing now she was caught helplessly.

"What? It's true, isn't it?" Remmy smirked . "You're far too concerned about hiding your own emotions. Especially when the world is in danger. Don't you think you should be focused on other things?"

"Well, maybe." Vivli squeaked.

"So she's right?" Olose asked. "You still have feelings for me?"  
"I think so." Vivli managed to say, blushing again. "I-I don't know! It's not the kind of thing I want to talk about. I-I haven't thought about it. Kind of. I-I feel something, but I dunno what it is. If it's just a memory. Desperation because I've lost Zin. Old memories of who you were. I dunno if I feel for you, or the old you, with the other face. I dunno." Vivli started speaking at such accelerated paces Olose thought she was going to tie her tongue in knots.

"Calm down Viv." He said gently, holding onto her shoulders. Remmy smirked as she watched. "I'm the same person. Different body. Different voice. But I've always been the same. You know that."

"Yeah, I know. It's just hard to think of you as the same person." Vivli told him. "I just…struggle….with it in my head. What am I doing? Talking to you about it like this? This is crazy! Remmy! This is your fault!" Vivli turned to see that the tarutaru had snuck away. "Oh, dammit!" Vivli stomped her foot, realizing she was left alone to face Olose. Remmy had forced her to admit her emotions.

"Oh, come on Viv, all I did was change. I didn't-" Olose's eyes suddenly went wide. He screamed in blind agony. Vivli looked at him in sudden shock.

"What?" She whispered.

"I said I didn't- floosh, aaaayag, errrrrl." Vivli ran to him in shock as Olose's face contorted in pain, the words that had previously made so much sense coming out as jargon.

"Are you alright?" Vivli asked, running and holding him in her arms. It was a stupid question, but she didn't know what else to say. Sudden orange electricity sparked up between them, and Vivli fell back with a scream. It began to lash around Olose with a roar. "What's that?" She cried in horror.

"Uh oh." Olose managed to say, looking like he was about to be sick. "Things are going a bit wrong. I-" His face suddenly contorted in pain again, and he doubled over. More orange electricity lashed around him. "Flore, flaar!" He cried out, his words again reduced to nonsense. He dropped down to his knees, the electricity now lashing him to the ground.

"I'll- I'll go get Remmy! She'll know what to do!" Vivli stammered, almost sobbing.

"No! Viv!" Olose managed to say. "Viv! I lovaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargib targin ritikin." His face contorted one final time, the lightning lashing him to the ground, the wood around him beginning to splinter, his body being hauled downwards towards the deck. The electricity began to form around him like a cocoon.

"Help!" Vivli screamed. "Quickly!" But it was already too late.

The cocoon collapsed in on itself, and Olose Sampson was gone.

The low hum of crackling electricity filled the ship floating upon the ocean. Leanne approached her prisoner. Olose hung in orange electric bonds, floating, in a state of forced unconscious.

"Wonderful thing, voodoo magic. If I find an object tied strongly enough to the victim, I can do, anything." She remarked. "That's right. Even capture you. You'd be surprised what I've learnt over the years. This ship. The _Destiny_. It was no coincidence. It was what we needed. Something tied so strongly to your early life it gave us total control over your body. And now you are our prisoner, captured for all of time, and nothing left on this planet can stop us!"


	12. Force Your Way

**Author's Note: Sorry it's been so long everybody. I moved back to Uni, and a few things have come up lately that meant I lost a lot of motivation. I'm afraid I can't really say anymore about that, at least. Here's the latest update, though, better late than never. I've found it quite difficult to write lately, so it's probably another rubbish chapter, for which I apologise.**

**In good news, the forums are fully running now, the only FFXI forum on the site too, complete with a few games and things people can do in there, as well as a place for plot speculation (totally not where I'll steal ideas from!) so there's a better reason for people to check it out now. Please do, because otherwise I feel silly, opening an empty forum, and also really big headed too!**

**Ahem, anyway, I can't think of much else to say, other than enjoy and sorry it took so long, and is a bit sucky!**

**CHAPTER XI**

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS EARLIER**_

The doors to the San d'Orian Chateau flew open as Olose marched in, closely followed by his crew. Guards readied their weapons, but a quick command from behind halted them. Queen Astra stood outside the doors to the throne room, eyeing Olose.

"Olose Sampson. It's been a while. Why are you here?" She asked calmly.

"The entire world is in danger." Olose replied.

"Obviously. You're involved." Astra almost smirked.

"Somebody has taken Arcadia. I need to find out where. I'm _certain _they're planning something that's going to be the end of us all, but unless I can find them I can't stop them." Olose explained. He tossed a link pearl to Astra. It was actually Trevia's, since Olose had broken his own. "That is linked to Arcadia's pearl. Phabrizoe reckons you can widen the link, make it into a teleportation spell. Can you?" Astra's eyes became focused on Olose. Astra's magical strength was incredible, far stronger than any being anybody had ever seen. A result of a stunted physical development when she was young thanks to a strange poison designed to incapacitate her as a princess meaning her magical powers had become incredibly accelerated.

"Anything is possible. It's not a question of possibility." Astra smiled.

"Was that you being arrogant?" Olose grinned.

"Just factual." Astra replied holding out the pearl. "I don't know where this leads, and unless I come with you, I cannot bring you back."

"These opponents," Olose began, "Are werewolves. Immortals, like me. Hundreds of them. I have to stop them." Olose turned to his crew. "_We _have to stop them. I don't think there's going to be a coming back from this one." The pearl began to float, and suddenly it exploding, folding in on itself. A massive blue portal opened, swirling.

"This ride may hurt a little." Astra told them as they stared into what seemed to be a massive spinning tunnel.

"Way to fill me with confidence!" Suse yelled.

"Oh, let's just go." Trevia stated, running and jumping in. Olose shrugged, and ran after her, promptly followed by the rest of the crew.

Arcadia paced in her cell, still frustrated her attempt to escape hadn't worked. She didn't really stand a chance against werewolves, but it was still annoying. And now her link pearl was buzzing crazily. In fact, it was glowing as well. It seemed to be beginning to float. After Olose had smashed his, they had given her it back. She only wished she had thought of contacting him before this whole mess arose. Not that that mattered now. Now there was a floating link pearl in front of her. And it seemed to be glowing brighter and brighter.

Arcadia had the sense to step back just before it shattered, and a swirling blue portal snapped open. She didn't even blink as the all too familiar crew fell out. She knew Olose too well. This kind of thing was to be expected.

"Hello!" He grinned, springing to his feet. Arcadia just rolled her eyes.

"Cap'n." Phabrizoe said simply. "We appear to be in a jail cell."

"Why did I know we would end up being captured at some point?" Jeren sighed.

"Hey. I've already been captured once, thank you very much." Olose shot. "Now, these bars." He touched them. "Not made of silver. Stand back everyone!" He grabbed them, and in a moment, they were no longer attached to the concrete they were supposed to be. Arcadia just watched.

"You sure know how to make an entrance." She grumbled. Trevia suddenly got up.

"Ouch." She grumbled. "If we ever do that again, remind me that going through first means that everybody else will land on _top _of me." She said, rubbing her back.

"This is why we need a galka on the team. They make good crash dummies." Suse spoke up.

"And how do you know that?" Arcadia asked with slight confusion.

"No reason." Suse said, skipping out of the cell. Arcadia sighed. When things like this didn't surprise her, she knew her life was weird.

Olose marched out, before noticing Suse was frozen. He raised an eyebrow and turned down the corridor.

Werewolves.

Two of them. Olose grinned.

"And here I was thinking this would be boring." He laughed. "Weapons! Ready!" The team unsheathed their silver weapons (even Olose had a silver sword with a wrapped handle). The werewolves' eyes went wide, and they let out a howl. One turned and retreated as the other attacked. It leapt at them, but fell from the air as Phabrizoe blasted it with a fireball. Olose was on top of it before it could get back up with a silver sword through its heart. It let out a gurgle, and died.

"Those two had already transformed." Trevia observed coldly. "They know we're here."

"Naturally." Olose replied.

"They're going to stop us from escaping, that's for certain." Jeren told his captain.

"That's fine by me, because we're not going to escape." Olose smirked.

"This is the stuff I like to know before I jump into big swirly things!" Suse snapped.

"Don't worry. When this is done, whatever they're planning will be stopped." Olose decided. "It's time to save the world again." He grinned.

"I know it." Arcadia told him. "I know what they are planning." The crew turned to her, and she began to explain.

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS LATER**_

"Viv. What you're saying doesn't make any sense." Bootus said simply.

"I know!" Vivli cried. "But it's what happened. He started making funny noises, then this electricity came up around him, then he disappeared!"

"Sounds like some kind of old voodoo magic." Remasa said curiously. "But that would require some extremely emotional object tied to him."

"Like his old ship?" Voldos suggested.

"That would do it." Remasa replied. "Even then, this is old magic. Forgotten magic. It means your enemies could be even more powerful than you thought."

"_More _powerful than being immortal?" Zinkata asked skeptically. "We always get the short straw when it comes to enemies."

"And white mages." Bootus grinned. "Get it? Short?"

"Yes thank you!" Vivli snapped. "Now, we need to save Olose!"

"Voodoo magic like that would have teleported him to the object. In this case, his ship." Remasa explained.

"Then we keep going where we were going anyway." Zinkata decided. "We'll board the ship, and save him."

"Me saving Olose, eh?" Vivli pondered. "He's never going to live that one down."

"No, Viv, we're gonna save Olose. You're gonna stand there and do whatever it is you do." Bootus smirked.

"Heal. I _heal_." Vivli pointed out.

"Of course you do." Bootus said in his most patronizing tones, ruffling Vivli's newly blonde hair. Vivli just folded her arms and grumbled to herself.

"Hey! I think we're approaching the target!" Cid cried from behind the controls. The Light Warriors rushed across the deck, preparing themselves.

A young looking immortal girl walked into the room and saluted Leanne.

"Ma'am, the Light Warrior's ship will be approaching us soon. They will doubtlessly try and free Olose." She delivered.

"Ready the cannons." Leanne ordered. "They can't sink us if they know we have Olose on board. But we can sink them. What direction are we coming from?"

"We don't know. We can't see them anywhere." The girl replied.

"Fine. Ready the weapons all the same. I'm coming up on deck." Leanne decided.

She marched up on deck angrily and looked around. They were right. Even with sharpened senses, she couldn't make out an incoming vessel anywhere. Surely they hadn't gotten lost? No. The Light Warriors must be coming. They wouldn't abandon Olose. She could hear something too. A repeating thudding coming from-

-the air!

"They're in an airship!" She bellowed. "All cannons! Aim upwards!"

The _Raven III _soared downwards towards the _Destiny_.

"They've spotted us!" Zinkata warned.

"Readying cannons!" Voldos yelled back, preparing the _Raven's _incredibly mobile cannons and aiming them downwards with ease.

"Fire!" Zinkata ordered.

Leanne's eyes opened wide as shots came down from above far before they could ready their own defenses. The cannon balls slammed into the ancient deck of the _Destiny_, smashing through the magically repaired wood with ease.

"Return fire!" She bellowed. "Blast them out of the sky! _Now_!"

"Firing all cannons." Came the calm response as the werewolves set about their job.

Cannon balls hurtled into the air, and whizzed past the _Raven III_, unable to hit effectively. A few slammed into its hull without damage.

"They can't harm us." Cid said casually from the controls. "The cannon balls arc back downwards. They're ineffective to fire upwards at us."

"Keep firing, Voldos!" Zinkata ordered, smiling.

"Be careful!" Vivli cried. "Olose is down there!"

"Don't worry. We're just softening them up." Zinkata replied. "Bootus! Prepare the rope ladder!"

"Oh, I hate that thing!" Vivli moaned with a stomp of her foot.

Leanne jumped aside as another cannonball smashed through the deck.

"What are those fools doing?" She snapped. "What are _you _fools doing? Shoot them down!"

"We can't!" Somebody shouted in reply. "Our weapons are ineffective!"

"Prepare my ship. I can deal with them myself." Leanne said simply, before marching to the small boat docked along side the _Destiny. _"Olose may think it was clever taking an airship, but he wasn't the only one that thought of that."

Propellers began to extend out of the small docked boat, and it took into the air. A one-person airship, evidently, constructed by the werewolves.

Zinkata raised an eyebrow.

"Things are getting interesting." Remasa observed.

"Too true. Vivli! Remmy! Adjust the other cannons. Let's get rid of that vessel coming after us. Voldos, keep firing on the ship below. Bootus, prepare to board!" Zinkata quickly ordered.

"Who put him in charge?" Bootus grumbled sarcastically as he tied the rope ladder to the edge of the deck. The ship rocked slightly as it got hit from below, and Cid leaned over the controls to shout to the others.

"We've just been hit. We're getting too close. We can't stay here for long." He explained calmly.

Vivli ran to the nearest cannon and grabbed the nearest cannonball. Her eyes went wide.

"Who makes these things?" She asked as she uselessly tried to lift it. "I can't move it!" She said helplessly. Remmy struggled by holding a cannonball that wasn't much smaller than she was, obviously struggling. She managed to get to the front of the cannon and stick it in.

"Just aim it. I'll load it." Remmy said simply. Vivli blushed. Tarutaru weren't supposed to be very strong. Especially not mages. Yet Remmy showed Vivli up easily.

"Y-yes." She stuttered, before trying to shift the heavy cannon about. She grunted and sighed. "Clearly whoever invented these things didn't have me in mind." She groaned.

"_I _invented those, and yes I did." Cid yelled from the controls. "Use the lever to aim it!" Vivli nodded, and grunted as she grabbed a lever and moved it that automatically aimed the cannon at the incoming smaller airship. She lit the fuse and fired. The cannonball whizzed by the enemy ship, completely missing.

"That's quality aiming, that is." Bootus nodded. "The ladder's ready, by the way."

"Then you get here and aim this thing!" Vivli cried. Bootus shrugged, and wondered over, taking a cannonball off of the struggling Remmy and stuck it in the cannon. He walked back, aimed, and fired.

Leanne was surprised as a cannonball slammed into her little ship with perfect accuracy. She just spat in anger, and took a run up.

Vivli couldn't hide her surprise, or how impressed she was.

"Urr, lucky shot!" She cried.

"Whatever you say, Viv!." Bootus laughed triumphantly.

"Stop gloating and get down the ladder!" Zinkata ordered. "We're boarding now!" Bootus turned away from the smoking attacking airship, and ran to the ladder, Vivli and Remmy close behind. Voldos and Zinkata had already begun to climb down. Bootus jumped over and grabbed onto the ladder, causing the whole ship to shake slightly. Remmy climbed at and began to climb down the ladder as Vivli looked at the drop nervously. She had a bad habit of falling off rope ladders. She gulped, and went to climb down it just as she heard something land on the deck.

She turned around to see Leanne marching towards her. Vivli gulped and tried to climb over the side, but got pulled back and screamed.

"Help!" She managed to bellow, but the other warriors were already half way down the ladder with many angry immortals gathering below. It was too late to save Vivli, so they just let themselves fall off the ladder onto the deck, and draw the silver weapons they had prepared.

Vivli kicked and squirmed uselessly, held back by Leanne.

"Are you all that's left?" Leanne asked with a smirk, throwing Vivli back across the deck. Vivli crashed down painfully. "I'm a little disappointed." She continued to walk towards the little mithra, who was too badly hurt from being thrown to get up. "And I thought you were supposed to be a Light Warrior." Vivli cured herself and got up angrily.

"I _am _a Light Warrior!" She spat.

"Prove it, then." Leanne smirked. Vivli unclipped her staff from her belt and stared angrily at Leanne. Leanne held out her hands in a fighting stance. It was now or never.

Vivli was going to prove herself.


	13. Battle Scene

**Author's Note: Sorry this update has taken, like, _forever_. I've been a bit busy and a bit distracted lately. But that's mostly just finding excuses. I've also been a bit unmotivated. But I finally got it done, so hopefully you can enjoy.**

**The forums are still up, even though not many people post. It's the only FFXI fanfic forum at the moment I believe, so come on people! Make it lively! There are lots of games there now, like versus threads, where you pit your favourite fanfic characters against each other, and places for plot speculation and suggestions and things, so go check it out. It'll make me feel special, that much is true. And it's more fun than leaving a review, if you're one of those readers (do I have any?) who don't like to review. **

**Of course, if you could review anyway, I'd love it. Always makes me feel special getting reviews, like what I do is appreciated, even if the review is critical. And yes, I am trying to guilt trip you into reviewing, but a friend of mine tells me that works, since she only ever contacted me because of my constant guilt tripping, so it must work somehow! So, come on! Review!**

**Also: post on the forums.**

**Again, sorry this chapter took so long. I actually quite liked the flashback part of this chapter, it was fun to write. Although that might just be me being weird.**

**CHAPTER XII**

Before Vivli could react Leanne pounced at her, knocked her staff from her hand and threw her back against the cabin. Vivli collapsed in agony, the pain too much for her little body to take. She looked up at Leanne stood over her helplessly, just as the mighty werewolf swept down and picked her up by the neck, leaving her dangling.

"My, my, aren't we a frail one?" She taunted. Vivli kicked and struggled, but was unable to do anything. "Weak too." She remarked. "Well, survival of the fittest. And you can't survive." Leanne swung Vivli around and let her go. Vivli tumbled across the deck and slammed into the end of it. She didn't move and Leanne cackled. "That's really pathetic. The legendary Light Warriors defeated by a light throw." Vivli's blonde hair just blew over her face, but the little mithra didn't move. "I don't think I can find words for how weak you are. I mean, the four united. Destined defenders of Vana'diel. And you've been crushed that easily. Completely unable to stand against me. With you dead, the four are broken. Nobody can stop us." Vivli suddenly started to move. She tried to get up, but her thin arms just shook as she tried to move. She collapsed with a pant, and looked around at Leanne, tears running down her face. She began to whisper. "A cure spell? Why cure yourself when I could snap your pathetic little bones with but a thought?" Leanne asked with a grin.

"It's not a cure spell." Vivli groaned. "Holy!"

The blast hit Leanne, but it merely caused her to fly back across the deck. She landed on her feet, and she didn't look phased.

"That it?" She asked with a shrug. Vivli cast a cure spell quickly afterwards and got back to her feet.

"I haven't even begun yet!" She spat, obviously very angry.

"You don't stand a chance. You're up against an immortal enemy who is simply put, faster, stronger and smarter than you are." Leanne mocked.

"You are _not _smarter!" Vivli yelled back. Leanne decided to attack, and was on top of Vivli again in moments, but didn't hit her. Instead she just grabbed her and pinned the mithra's arms to her sides.

"Go on then." Leanne snarled. "Do your worse." Vivli couldn't even squirm thanks to Leanne's incredible strength.

"I can't!" She grunted as she strained.  
"Exactly. You can't move. So, if I chose to throw you off this airship right now, you'd survive, how exactly?" Vivli looked up helplessly at her captor. She couldn't move at all. "Aww, don't you look sweet. So cute and innocent. What a shame I hate cute and innocent." Leanne dragged Vivli over to the edge of the deck and lifted her up. Vivli started to cry, unable to do anything else. "Don't feel bad. You're a typical pretty girl. Dresses and long blonde hair. And pretty girls have no business being adventurers." Leanne smirked.

"Just one problem." Vivli groaned, still in Leanne's iron grip. "I'm not blonde, so I guess I'm not pretty."

"Was that a threat?" Leanne asked in surprise.

"No. But this is." Came a voice from behind. Leanne turned around in shock to see Cid stood by a lighted cannon aimed directly at her. Before she could react a cannonball tore out of it and slammed into her, blowing her directly off the deck. Vivli was pulled with her for a moment before her grip was released and the little mithra crashed onto the deck.

Cid ran over to her and helped her up. He had to confess, she was very frail. He could feel it as her body shook in his arms. It was a surprise she was still alive.

"I'm _really _glad you're a good shot with that thing." She half sobbed.

"Urm, it was supposed to be a warning shot." Cid told her dryly. Vivli's bright blue eyes went wide in fear. "Come on, let's get you below decks where it's safe." He said kindly.

"No!" Vivli tried to struggle out of Cid's grip, but again, she found herself far too weak. "I have to go down there and help them."

"You're in no condition for that." Cid explained in an attempt to comfort her. "Go below decks and rest. The others can handle themselves. I need to get back to the controls." Vivli calmed down and he released her. "Oh, and you _are _pretty, Viv." He said with a smile.

As soon as he turned away Vivli scowled at him and marched below decks, except without the slightest intention of staying there.

Zinkata blocked an attack from one of the wolves and thrust his sword into it. It bellowed and fell off of the ship as it ran around screaming. There was an explosion from up on the _Raven_, like a cannon firing, but he didn't have time to worry about that.

"Come on! We have to get below decks!" He yelled, pointing in that direction with his sword.

"If you haven't noticed, we're a little busy!" Bootus shouted back, clashing with a fully transformed werewolf. It swiped at him and knocked his scythe out of his hands. Bootus hit it in the face and swung behind it, grabbing its tail and throwing it through the air and into the water.

"Ha, you have trouble." Voldos smirked, firing silver arrows with pinpoint accuracy and keeping the wolves back. "See, this is why I'm married and your not." He said, stopping to pose as coolly as he could manage.

"I'm not married because I'm asexual." Bootus reminded him.  
"Sounds like an excuse to me." Voldos grinned.

"Asexuality is not an excuse." Bootus frowned. "Besides, we all know I could get more girls than you."

"I'm married!" Voldos pointed out.

"Sounds like an excuse to me." Bootus grinned.

"Oh, I hate you!" Voldos mocked, managing to sound surprisingly like Vivli.

"Urm, I don't mean to interrupt, but focusing would be good." Remmy spoke up.

"Why? We can deal with these werewolves with our silver weapons easily enough." Voldos said casually with a cocky smile.

"What about _that_?" Remmy asked with a distinct lack of confidence. The others looked.

Bear stood on the deck, staring at them silently.

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS EARLIER**_

Olose and his crew crept down the castle passageway slowly, walking down another set of spiraling stairs, getting ever lower. Arcadia's high heels clicked as they walked, echoing around the large space.

"When we get back, I'm throwing out every pair of those you own." Olose decided.

"You do that and I shall throw out all of your swords." Arcadia smirked back. Olose just stared at her.

"Why are being quiet anyway?" Suse asked. Everybody looked at her curiously. "I mean, Olose has a really good sense of smell right? So do the werewolves. That means they know we're here already."

"Captain, should you be offended she's smarter than you?" Trevia asked Olose with a slight smirk.

"Well, they haven't caught us yet. Either they're distracted or planning something." Olose explained as they reached the bottom of the tower. He swung open the door and raised an eyebrow.

It was a doorway in the side of the cave they had been in before. He stood watching silently. Bear stood before Leanne. In his hands was a black orb.

"Ah, excellent." Leanne commented simply. "Wouldn't you agree, Olose?" She grinned, turning to face him.

"Go. Now." Olose whispered.  
"Where?" Jeren asked simply.

"Anywhere." Olose answered. "Get to safety. That guy there is more powerful than any of us."

"We can help." Trevia reminded him.

"Keep everybody safe, and together. As a team you can take normal werewolves. Get out of here. I'll deal with the giant guy." Olose told them. "Go! Now!" His crew simply nodded and ran, knowing not to argue with Olose.

Olose walked down into the cave confidently, two swords hanging from his belt.

"The Two Bladed Wolf." Grinned Leanne. "Creature of legends. The only one who can stop us."

"Always knew I was special." Olose grinned back. "Arcadia told me everything."

"Then you know what this orb will do." Leanne stated as a fact, not a question. "I've summoned Aura, she will be here soon. And then the hume race will be no more. And thanks to you, you've delivered all the other races into my hands in the form of your crew. They shall be captured, and used to wipe out all of the lesser races!"

"Nice evil villain speech. Bit stereotypical though. I'd give it a six out of ten." Olose mocked.

"Keep joking, Olose." Leanne smirked. "While Bear tears you limb for limb. You know why we call him bear?"

"I can guess." Olose grumbled.

"We aren't just werewolves. We're lycanthropes. And Bear here is the very last of a special type." Bear began to transform into a massive creature. Bigger, larger and stronger looking than a werewolf. Without the wolf like features either. No wolf like face, no wolf ears, and no tail. He looked like a bear. A werebear. "He'll crush you, then there will be nobody to stop us." Leanne smirked. "Goodbye, Olose Sampson."

"It's not over to the fat ugly immortal guy dies!" Olose yelled, drawing his twin silver swords, protected handles and gloves on just to double check his own security.

"Kill him!" Leanne ordered to Bear. The huge monster leapt at Olose, just as Olose took a fighting stance.

The rest of the crew raced through the corridors, before skidding to a stop. Aura stood in the way, flanked by two humes.

"Ah, hello, Arcadia, dear." She smiled.

"You are rather confident, considering you are unarmed." Arcadia reminded her.

"I am anything but unarmed." Aura replied calmly. "You two. Destroy them." The two humes suddenly burst into werewolf form as the crew drew their swords.

Olose found his twin silver long swords knocked out of his hands before he could slash at Bear and got hit in the gut, causing him to rocket across the cave and into the nearby wall. He quickly burst out of the rocks and threw off his leather jacket.  
"Okay, time for games is over." He growled as he sprang into his full werewolf form. Leanne cackled.

"You don't stand a chance. That won't stop him." She gloated. Olose threw himself at Bear who snatched him out of the air and threw him at the ceiling. Olose spun in the air and turned so that his legs were facing the roof. He kicked off of it as he approached and rocketed back down at Bear, slashing him down the chest as he did so. Bear roared and back fisted Olose, knocking him the ground with a yelp. Olose growled, biting into Bear's leg. Bear kicked his leg upwards hurling Olose upwards again as his jaw lost its connection, causing the hero to crash down on the other side of the cave, still in werewolf form, and with a mouthful of Bear's flesh. Bear seemed to grin as he advanced on Olose.

Trevia found herself pinned as one of the werewolves lunged her before she could draw her sword. It went to bite into her but Jeren swung a silver sword down at it causing it to have to retreat.

Suse fired silver arrows at the other, but missed as it sprang off the narrow corridor wall and turned in the air, landing before her. A massive fireball from Phabrizoe blasted it back, the narrow space making it impossible for him to miss.

Trevia managed to draw her silver katana and advanced on her opponent, Jeren at her side. The werewolf kicked outwards with its powerful leg causing her stumble back, and then spun its claw in slashing Jeren's arm. Jeren screamed and was thrown back into the nearby wall with such force a few stones fell from the ceiling.

"JEREN!" Trevia screamed, running to his side.

The werewolf scorched by Phabrizoe's fireball leapt at the tiny tarutaru, who ducked, causing it to saw over his head. Suse fired her silver arrows again, this time hitting it in the shoulder. It roared in pain and leapt at her. It knocked her over, and went to roar at her, but a lightning bolt struck it. It stumbled for a bit and Suse thrust another silver arrow into its chest with all of her strength. It stumbled back, and yet another fireball hit it, knocking it back. It roared again, and slashed its razor sharp claws at Phabrizoe.

Trevia was now fighting the other werewolf alone, its claws blocking her blows. It trapped her sword in them, and then twisted, shattering the blade, sending shards of silver everywhere. Trevia reacted, quickly drawing two silver throwing stars and hurling them at the werewolf before jumping backwards and drawing a silver dagger. The wolf roared at its two latest wounds.

Aura hurriedly made her exit, reaching a door that she knew would lead around to Leanne, and safety. She stopped to catch her breath, glancing back at the battle she had left behind. She gasped as she saw Arcadia stood before her.

"Going somewhere?" Arcadia smirked.

"I've had quite enough of you." Aura growled, pulling a dagger from her belt. Unlike Aura, Arcadia was unarmed. She backed away slightly.

"It does not have to end like this." Arcadia told her.

"What's the matter, scared?" Aura grinned.

"We shall see." Arcadia stated calmly.

Olose slammed into the wall again, and dropped down, his werewolf body badly beaten, and not having time to regenerate before Bear was on top of him again. This time, however, Olose kicked himself off of the ground before Bear could do anything, and knocked the mighty werebear over, propelling himself over his head. Olose leapt onto Bear's back, and grabbed his neck, beginning to dig his claws in.

Aura pulled the dagger back over her head and went to stab down at Arcadia. Arcadia flung herself forwards, grabbing Aura's arms, trying to hold her back. Arcadia strained as Aura tried to stab downwards at her. Arcadia struggled, but was growing nervous. Aura seemed to have slightly more physical strength than her. That or she just had the advantage pushing downwards. The dagger got ever closer to Arcadia's head as she strained to hold it away.

Trevia ducked as the werewolf swiped at her, and thrust upwards with her dagger. The werewolf swung to the side and grabbed her arm, before rotating it with such a tug there was a sickening crack. Trevia screamed and fell down, wincing, her arm broken.

Suse screamed as the werewolf leapt upwards onto the ceiling, and propelled itself off of it with such force when it collided with her it was easily enough to knock the still quite fragile mithra out.

"Suse! No!" Phabrizoe managed to cry, running in and diving under the werewolf. He fired a lightning bolt from his position between its legs and the werewolf yelped in agony as it hit home. It fell forwards for just enough time to allow Phabrizoe to grab one of Suse's silver arrows and shove it between its eyes, causing it to instantly die.

Trevia tried one final time to fight back, but with her arm broken she was in too much pain to succeed. The werewolf simply picked her up and slammed her against the wall. It let out a mighty roar just before it went to bite into her. Before it could manage, it yelped. Jeren was stood behind it, having shoved his own silver sword into its back. With its jaw still open, he forced one of his bombs into its mouth, threw a rope over it, and pulled it tight while the werewolf was distracted by the pain.

"GET DOWN!" He screamed. The four crewmembers dived to the floor as the werewolf exploded, unable to do anything in time. The roof of the corridor crumbled down, resulting in an avalanche of stone, cutting the crew off from their escape route (and Arcadia).

Aura was suddenly distracted by the explosion down the corridor, and Arcadia used it to her advantage, stomping on Aura's foot with her heel. Aura cried in pain, and Arcadia quickly delivered a slap to her face, causing Aura to stumble back and drop the dagger. Arcadia smiled.

"And Olose wants me to not wear these anymore." She said, admiring the work her shoes had done to Aura's foot. Arcadia swept down gracefully and grabbed the dagger before Aura could react, and held it out.

"Please, don't kill me." Aura whimpered, now at her mercy.

"I will not kill you." Arcadia stated. Aura's face suddenly turned into a sinister grin.

"Your loss!" She laughed, lunging forwards at Arcadia. Arcadia simply sidestepped and planted the dagger in her upper arm. Aura screeched in blind agony, completely unprepared for any kind of pain like that.

"That is not a fatal wound." Arcadia pointed out, wanting to smile but too disturbed by Aura's blood loss. Aura dropped down, screaming and sobbing so much that her thick make-up ran down her face with ease. She looked up helplessly. Arcadia swung her hand backwards across her face and knocked Aura out.

Bear grabbed Olose from his back and threw him across the cave once more. Olose landed by a metal lever, which he pulled. The massive cage in the ground opened, leading to the monster from which Olose had escaped earlier. The monster couldn't climb out, but the pit was now open for one of the two combatants to meet their doom in.

"Foolish, Olose, foolish." Leanne mocked. "You really think you can get Bear in that thing? You've only sealed your own fate."

"Not Bear." Olose smirked, despite his werewolf form. "You."

"_What_?" Leanne managed to yell, but it was too late. Olose leapt at her, powered by his mighty lycanthropic muscles, and knocked her right into the pit with the monster. It could be heard roaring below. Bear looked at her fall.

"Go on then. Save your mistress." Olose taunted to Bear. Bear ran and dived into the pit to protect Leanne from the beast. Olose grinned in victory. He pulled the lever and the metal trapdoor closed. Sure, they could escape like Olose did, but it would take time. He ran over and grabbed his old leather jacket, throwing it on over the tattered remains of his trousers as he retook human form. He turned to leave, before pausing.

A figure in a black robe was stood at the exit, clapping.

"Very good, Olose. Very good." He grinned. Olose tensed up. He had a feeling that this new stranger was somebody even worse than Leanne and Bear.

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS LATER**_

Vivli burst out on deck dressed in her full white mage robes. She had even cleaned them earlier, giving them a pristine white look. The red triangles were as colourful as ever, even though Vivli had to admit she felt strange wearing them with her new blonde hair; whenever she had worn them before it had been ginger.

She ran over to the rope ladder and began to climb down it, looking below. She could just see four unconscious bodies being hauled below deck by a gigantic creature. An elvaan, a galka, a tarutaru and a hume.

"Great guys, just great." She managed to say, straining with the rope ladder. She didn't quite have the strength to hold onto the ladder, and began to descend it with great difficulty. Her little arms were shaking furiously as she tried to hold on, but it was no good. For all her will power, Vivli was still greatly lacking physically, especially in her anorexic state, and she fell.

It was in fact a stroke of luck, or some would say fate, that she did, for she crashed down _inside _a barrel on the ship, falling unconscious instantly, but hidden.

Three of the Light Warriors were captured, Remmy too, and the only one who was free, Vivli, was now unconscious inside that barrel. To make matters worse, the _Destiny _was sailing away, and Cid, having seen the heroes' capture, pulled the _Raven III _away to a safe distance.

Things had gone badly.

**Author's Note: Sorry to make another one. Just a quick note to apologise for the slightly poor ending. I didn't really have the motivation to write another fight with Bear, and figured since that fight was only there for the Light Warriors to be captured, why not skip to the results? It's actually coincidence that the two fights with Bear took place at the same time. I messed up a bit with the pacing of the two stories there.**

**Oh, and Vivli falling off the rope ladder is a reference to all the other times she's failed to climb one. The way I figure it, climbing a rope ladder hanging in the air is hard work (I've never tried myself), physically at least, and we all know Vivli isn't exactly physically strong! Hence why she falls off. It is a convenient plot device to get her on the ship, mind!**


	14. Still More Fighting

**Author's Note: A fairly quick update by my recent schedule here. Trying to make up for lost time. That and I'm going to be away for the next six days, so unable to write. This chapter has a few weak spots in my opinion, the 'mystery' of the hooded figure is revealed (like you haven't all guessed!) but I feel I couldn't quite get the emotions correct. So sorry about that. Hopefully the real pay off will come soon in the present storyline. The past storyline is wrapped up this chapter.**

**Also this chapter ends with the final result of just why I've been drilling into the story Vivli's physical weakness lately. Hopefully you'll see what I mean.**

**Oh, there's a few obscure homages in dialogue here. But if anybody gets them all, I will be very impressed!**

**CHAPTER XIII**

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS EARLIER**_

"Oh, so the mysterious master reveals himself. How typical." Olose remarked mockingly.

"Save your insults for the weak minded, Sampson." The hooded figure growled back.

"That wasn't an insult. I haven't even started yet." Olose said sarcastically.

"Now _that_ is typical." The figure shot back.

"You're plan. It won't work you know." Olose told the figure.

"Oh. And why is that?" The figure asked.

"Elvaans." Olose answered.

"Elvaans? Not like you to rely on them to save you." The figure grinned.

"No. There are no elvaans in my crew. Leanne wants to use them to wipe out all the races. But you're missing elvaans." Olose explained triumphantly.

"Incorrect." The figure answered. "Your crew does have an elvaan. You've only forgotten her."  
"Nadia?" Olose repeated. "She's long gone."

"To Bastok. I found her." The figure told Olose with a smile.

"If you harmed her-" Olose began, remembering is old friendship.

"You're the one who left her helpless." The robed man reminded Olose. Nadia had been Olose's first mate, until she was manipulated against him. Olose hadn't killed her, but was forced to cut off her hand. She had lost one of her arms a long time before, and so she was left utterly helpless.

"_You _did that to her, not me!" Olose roared. The figure paused, and smirked. "What? Did you think I didn't know who you were?" Olose remarked. "Please. It's obvious. Do you really think I'd of lived this long without researching the old legends. The origins of the werewolves. Arcadia didn't need to tell me. I already knew. And I already knew the legends spoke of the Two Bladed Wolf to stand as Altana's champion."

"You knew the rest too, I assume." The figure questioned.

"Yes. That Prometheus would have his own champion." Olose replied. "Somebody who feared not death, because he had already tasted it. The One Who Is Dead."

"Useful, that." The figure smirked. "You see, being The One Who Is Dead means that the legends state I am the one who shall lead Prometheus's wolves to victory. They made me their leader without a second thought."

"They don't know you as well as I do, _Abaj_." Olose said simply.

"But Abaj Tuh is dead. You watched him die." Abaj taunted Olose.

"With great satisfaction, I might add." Olose reminded Abaj angrily. "How did you survive? I tore you apart!"

"Yes. You _did_!" Abaj roared, throwing off the black cloak and revealing his body. It was a mass amount of reconstructed chunks of flesh. Even his face. The entire body looked like it had been pieced together again from the smallest of chunks.

"Impossible." Olose said in a whisper.

"I died, Olose Sampson. You killed me." Abaj stated. "But the werewolves realized that I was to be their leader. They found the last great necromancer, and he gave me life again!"

"Only you couldn't regenerate." Olose smirked. "Wounds too great? Or maybe being dead altered your physique?"

"I still have my strength, Olose. And this time, I won't lose." Abaj began to advance, wearing only basic black trousers and nothing else to show off his battered body.

"Every time our paths have crossed I have defeated you." Olose reminded his nemesis. Abaj only cackled.

"Not this time Olose." Abaj said calmly, before walking over and pulling a lever. Part of the cave rumbled and retracted. Hanging there in chains was the beaten form of Nadia. The once proud elvaan hanging without an arm, without hands, skinny and clearly starved of food, badly injured from being beaten, and unconscious. "You realize if I use her for the process she lives?" Abaj reminded Olose. "But if we fight, I can easily kill her. And your entire crew, who no doubt will come storming back any moment in what they think is a heroic rescue." Olose watched Abaj angrily as he spoke.

"So that's how it's going to be, coward?" Olose growled. "Hiding behind idle threats because you're too scared to fight me?" He was beginning to remember everything Abaj Tuh had done. Abaj Tuh, who at the time Olose had believed was the last surviving werewolf apart from himself, had murdered his daughter when she was only a week old right in front of his eyes. Olose had never stopped hating; both Abaj and his own failure. The pain of losing her had never faded. And now his enemy stood before him, alive again. And he was trying to get out of Olose taking his vengeance.

"I am not scared of you!" Abaj roared. "I could crush you easily!"

"Then try." Olose said as calmly as he could. Abaj had always been unstable. That's what had caused him to kill his daughter in the first place. A moment of instability. This time, Olose was going to use it to his advantage.

"No." Abaj grinned. "No!" He leapt at where Nadia was hanging. "Remember this, Olose? I sacrifice my plan for your pain! Let us see how you live if she dies!"

"Not this time!" Olose screamed, flinging himself through the air and tackling Abaj before he could strike Nadia. "No more deaths! Nobody else! Just me and you!" Olose yelled at Abaj. Abaj raised slowly to his feet.

"So be it." He smirked. "You've put me through more pain than any mortal could ever possibly endure." Abaj began to speak. "And for that, I shall make you pay."

"You murdered my daughter!" Olose was beginning to lose his calm. All self control he had had was beginning to fly away at the thought his nemesis was still alive. The man he hated more than it felt possible _to _hate stood before him. "You murdered her right in front of my eyes, Abaj! And for that, you will _die!_"

The two immortals leapt at each other and collided in the air with such force the entire room physically shook. They crashed to the ground before Olose hit Abaj so hard he flew across the entire length of the cave and into the wall. He disappeared, leaving only a gigantic hole and piles of falling rocks where Olose had hit him. A moment passed before Abaj sprang back out as a werewolf coated in black fur, red eyes burning with decades of hatred. The scars from his reconstruction could still be seen clearly all over his body. Olose was clearly ready for this attack and swung aside, throwing off his jacket and bursting back into his werewolf form. He leapt at Abaj and tackled him. The two crashed down before Abaj threw Olose up into the ceiling, causing the entire roof to cave in around him. Abaj leapt backwards to safety, letting out a howl.

Olose's crew had indeed returned, cut off from their escape route. and watched in shock and awe.

"Abaj." Trevia whispered, refusing to acknowledge her broken arm with even a wince. She wouldn't let pain get to her.

"That's impossible." Phabrizoe said to himself.

"Apparently not." Jeren sighed.

"Look! It's Nadia!" Suse suddenly cried, spotting the beaten elvaan.

"Nadia?" Trevia repeated. "We have to help her! Move!"

"Make sure Abaj doesn't spot us." Phabrizoe warned. At that moment Olose burst back into the battle and hit his nemesis with tremendous force, rocketing him across the cave again.

"I don't think that will be a problem." Jeren pointed out.

Abaj let out another roar.

"You _cannot _stop me!" He taunted. "Death cannot stop me! I am immortal! _Truly _immortal! I am a God!"

"Shut! Up!" Olose screamed, slamming into him again. The two werewolves smashed into the pile of fallen rubble from the ceiling. Olose picked up a boulder and smashed it down on Abaj effortlessly. Abaj struck him to the chest and he flew backwards again, crashing down. For a moment, he didn't move. Abaj paused.

"Olose?" He said simply. "Is that it? Is it over?"

"No." Olose rose to his feet after a pause, but had noticeably retaken human form. "Not yet." Olose forced himself to jump, flinging himself towards the far door. Abaj went to tackle him, but missed. Olose disappeared, running through the door. Abaj followed as quickly as he could.

Suse looked to the others in confusion.

"Where are they going?" She asked while blinking thoughtfully.

"I don't know." Trevia replied, going to free Nadia, but realizing there was no way she could do it with her injured arms. "Phabrizoe, get these chains off of her." She decided to order. Phabrizoe silently obeyed, blasting the chains with a lightning bolt.

"Done." He noted. Nadia collapsed in a crumpled heap.

"I… know…where…" She croaked.

"What?" Jeren repeated. "Where? Where could he be going?"

"Only… one… place…" She tried to explain, weakly from the floor.

The two titans clashed down the corridors of the castle, ripping it apart and literally widening it into a cave as they hit each other with building shattering force. Abaj hit Olose and smashed him directly through the massively thick stone wall into another room. Olose sprang to his feet, badly beaten.

"This is where it ends, Olose." Abaj grinned. "You aren't what you once were. And my hatred cannot be contained."

"You're right." Olose panted. "Abaj. Yeah, you're right. This is where it ends." He conceded, dropping to one knee as his torn apart body failed him.

The crew helped Nadia to her feet, and with Jeren and Suse supporting her, Trevia unable to with her broken arm, made their way out of the cave, only to pause as they saw Bear and Leanne stood before them.

"Going somewhere?" Leanne asked with a smile. The crew looked horrified.

Abaj began to advance slowly on Olose, who was only managing to support himself on a nearby altar.

"Goodbye, Olose Sampson." Abaj stated simply.

"Goodbye, Abaj." Growled Olose, springing to his feet and pulling out of the remains of his black trousers a round object. "Altar!" He pointed to it. "Orb!" He thrust the orb into the perfectly carved position for it upon the altar with a triumphant grin.

"What?" Abaj managed to cry before he felt it. A burning pain as the orb began to grow a brilliant white. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He managed to cream as his fur caught on fire and he was ripped apart in a spectacular display of flames.

Leanne and Bear advanced on the crew before suddenly Leanne shrieked and Bear's eyes went wide. The two began to burn, their fur twisting and changing before bursting into flames, their bodies dissolving, becoming like fireflies floating in the sky.

Abaj was still screaming as his body broke up into glowing particles, dissolving before Olose. Olose still had his hands on the orb, but was now glowing bright white, all the energies of Prometheus and Altana burning through him as the entire lyncantropic race was destroyed.

Suse blinked in confusion.

"What happened?" She asked. Nadia smiled.

"He activated the altar." She answered, panting and still badly beaten. "Olose activated the altar. Obliterated the werewolves as Altana had always intended. I knew that was where he was headed." The crew focused upon what was now a pile of ash upon the ground.

"We had better get to him!" Trevia decided, and the crew rushed towards the corridor, ignoring the massive destruction Abaj and Olose had wrought.

Olose couldn't take his hands off the orb. The gods wouldn't let him. He felt the heat, the pain, the deaths of all those immortals pounding through him. He felt the pain twist inside him. But he wasn't going to die. He was protected. His body began to melt away around him, but he was safe.

And then suddenly he was released, and collapsed on the ground.

It was Arcadia that got to him first. He lay there, twitching. She rushed to his side, and put her hand on his damaged form, looking like nothing more than a blank template of a man now. But she knew it was him. It had to be.

The rest of the crew burst in a moment afterwards, and maintained their distance.

"Step back, Arcadia." Trevia advised. Arcadia looked tearfully around at them, but realised they were right. She took that step back, and watched. Olose's body arched up as he screamed, and fur burst out all over his body, covering it. "He's regenerating." Trevia explained. Olose continued to scream as his body, far too badly damaged to reconstruct itself, began anew, taking on a new form. He seemed to grow taller, his nose growing slightly, his ears changing position, his eyes moving towards the front more, his hair becoming wavier, yet shorter. The fur suddenly resided, leaving a new person before them. He opened his eyes to find the crew staring over him.

"Oh, hello." He grinned, quickly sitting up.

"You okay Cap?" Nadia smiled wearingly.

"Okay? I'm better than okay!" He stood up. "I'm tall again!" He cheered, after his last regeneration had left him a little on the short side.

"You're also blonde." Arcadia smiled.

"I'm what?" He cried in surprise, pulling his hair down for a look. "No blonde jokes! I mean it! None!" He cried.

"Captain, you did it." Trevia smiled. "The werewolves are gone." Olose suddenly fell deadly serious, the post regeneration cheer fading.

"An entire race. Wiped out in the blink of an eye." He commented, looking over to the orb, still glowing white.

"It'll never happen again, Captain." Phabrizoe assured. "I don't think anybody can remove that orb but somebody of the same race. You're the last werewolf. Nobody can ever remove it."

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS LATER**_

Vivli awoke with a pounding headache. She could see out of the barrel easily enough, and it didn't take her long to figure out what had happened. Her entire body ached from the awkward position it had ended up in, but other than that she seemed unharmed. She let out a slight groan, before holding it in, realizing other people might be about on the deck. She already felt sick from the motion of the waves, and sighed to herself. She quickly attempted to get out of the barrel, but found she had landed so doubled over in it she was wedged. She started struggling furiously, and let out a slight scream as the barrel fell over and she rolled out on the deck.

She quickly looked around, but found herself lucky. Nobody was there. She paused, and then remembered that the heroes had been taken below deck. She ran to the hatch and grabbed it, and strained. She grunted a little and gave up. The giant wooden door was far too heavy for her little frame. She cursed her own weakness, before creeping back to hide behind the nearest barrel. She waited there, and sure enough, soon somebody opened the hatch and emerged on deck. He seemed to breathe deeply for a moment, appreciating the salt air, and then moved forwards, towards the main cabin, leaving the hatch open. Vivli smiled, and darted below.

Vivli crept for a while, forgetting about any stealth white magic spells. They were no longer at the tips of her fingers, being so out of practice, and so she wasn't used to casting them instantly in this kind of situation. It didn't even occur to her. Instead she crept along, by some miracle not being seen, and reached the rear hold of the ship. She peered through the door, and spotted a thick large rectangular wooden pole running through the centre of the room. Attatched to each side was one of the warriors. Held around the neck by a massive metal hoop with a huge mechanism on it you had to turn to release, and with their arms pinned at their sides by smaller hoops (so that they couldn't turn it themselves). Vivli grinned and darted in.

Zinkata let out a slightly surprised smirk, being the warrior immediately facing her.

"Viv!" He cried cheerfully. "Good to see you back in the robes." Vivli smiled to herself, playing with them slightly.

"Thanks. I missed them." Vivli replied. "Geez, who'd of thought it was _me _who would have to rescue _you_?" She added mockingly.

"What's happening?" Remasa cried from around the other side of the pillar.

"It's Vivli!" Voldos explained happily.

"We're all doomed." Bootus grumbled, considerably mightier hoops holding him in place.

"Viv, turn the mechanism on the hoop." Zinkata instructed. "It should release it."

"Okay." Vivli cried cheerfully, happy to be rescuing her friends. She grabbed it, and paused. "Urm, which way?"

"Anti-clockwise. Don't make it any tighter. Please." Zinkata groaned. Vivli nodded, and tried to twist the system. She grunted and struggled, but couldn't move it.

"It's no good! It's stuck!" She protested.

"No it's not." Zinkata told her, having had it turned tighter and looser during torture. Torture that had completely failed to break him. "You just need to put some effort into it."

"I am putting effort into it!" Vivli strained she tried again, before releasing it with a pant. "It won't budge!"  
"This is why the weakling surviving is not good for us." Bootus commented dryly.

"Bootus!" Remasa snapped.

"What? I'm just saying." Bootus shrugged.

"Just wait a minute!" Vivli grunted, still struggling.

Zinkata tried to focus, but it was difficult. Vivli was very close to him, struggling desperately to undo his bonds, and failing. Her little body shook with effort, and Zinkata had to admit, he found it cute. Seeing her in the robes again brought back memories he thought he was done with too. And he thought she actually looked more attractive with her hair long and blonde. He tried his best to shake the thoughts from his mind. He was engaged to be married to a beautiful woman back in Windurst. He knew they were just old ideas surfacing. After all, it was hard not to, Vivli was pretty much pressed against him, struggling in a way that he had to admit he found cute, and her perfume this close was nearly overwhelming.

Zinkata lingered on that thought for a moment and his eyes suddenly went wide.

"Viv, you're wearing a lot of perfume." He told her. Vivli stopped struggling and looked at him blankly.

"Geez, it's not that much Zin." She replied, as if hurt. "Talk about being rude."

"No, I mean, the werewolves hunt by smell." Zinkata told her, almost laughing at her misunderstanding. "They can smell the slightest change in the environment."

"Meaning?" Vivli asked, fear beginning to creep into her voice.

"They know you're here." Zinkata answered as he saw Leanne walk into the room.

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS EARLIER**_

Olose was slumped on the edge of the _Destiny II_, watching the waves as they sailed back towards the mainland. After some time, Phabrizoe approached him.

"Something wrong, sir?" The tarutaru questioned.

"I was just thinking." Olose replied. "If any of Altana's wolves had survived out there. If I wasn't the last. I just killed them all. I just wiped out a race. That's a lot to bear."

"It is Captain, it is." Phabrizoe said quietly. "Something still concerns me though."

"Oh?" Olose asked, taking an interest.

"Abaj said he was brought back by a necromancer, right?" Phabrizoe questioned. Olose nodded. "But, mortal necromancy is based upon Prometheus's teachings. And like his orb, only somebody of the same race can resurrect the fallen. So only a hume can bring back a hume. We already know Prometheus's magic considers werewolves a separate race."

"But werewolves can't cast magic." Olose said thoughtfully. "That's impossible."

"Perhaps. Or perhaps there's something we overlooked." Phabrizoe warned.

"Maybe." Olose admitted. "But whatever it is, it can wait. The world has been saved. The werewolves are gone." He managed to smile. "Give it a few days. A week at the most. And it'll need saving again." He laughed.

_**FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT YEARS LATER**_

Vivli froze up as Leanne walked towards her. The evil werewolf chuckled to herself.

"Please, it's not like I caught you in the act." Leanne smirked. "We knew you were here from the moment you fell. And you snuck around the ship so clumsily even a mortal crew would have caught you." Vivli felt deeply embarrassed as her one major achievement was so easily disregarded by Leanne. "I mean, we had some problems getting you here." Leanne laughed to the Light Warriors. "Did you know she was so weak she couldn't even open the hatch?" She mocked. "This pathetic little weakling you call a traveling companion. She's a danger to you all. What's more, you care about her. Which makes her the ultimate bait." Leanne turned to Vivli. "You see? That's all you are. Bait for your friends. Trouble. Too weak to be of any real use." Vivli began to go shaky at the knees. Her confidence had been rebuilding. Leanne was shooting it down.

"I-I-" Vivli stuttered.

"The only reason I let you go free was because I knew you were too weak to free your friends." Leanne placed a hand on the mechanism and turned it, tightening the hold on Zinkata and causing him to let out a forced scream. "To think, if only you were the tiniest bit stronger." Zinkata was screaming still, and Vivli collapsed, sobbing. Leanne moved and tightened Bootus's, who also began to scream. "You could have stopped this." Next was Remasa. She screamed too. "But as it is, you're such a pathetic failure I don't even need to hurt you. I can just talk to you and you collapse." Vivli was lost in a flood of tears. Voldos was next, and he too screamed. "I could put you through this torture, but you're so frail, it would just kill you. So this is a new torture." Leanne dropped down, and thrust Vivli against the wall, who was sobbing crazily. "You can't do anything. You think you're unlucky in life, _girl_?" Leanne growled. "Well, every misfortune is your own failure, your own fault. If you were stronger nothing that occurs to you would have. But you fail. You fail pathetically."

Leanne released Vivli and she dropped to the floor, sobbing. She couldn't hear the screams anymore. She couldn't hear anything. Leanne had snapped her mind. Every piece of restoration her battle with her own inner demons had done had been wasted. Leanne had done far more damage in a few moments. And the evil werewolf reveled in it, watching the broken girl sobbing as her comrades screamed in agony. This was her finest victory.

568 years ago Olose Sampson had killed her and her entire race. Now she was back, and she had finally won.


	15. Pieces of the Puzzle

**Author's Note: Sorry it's been so long since an update. As you can probably tell, I'm finding this one hard to write. This story in general that is. So updates are much slower than I like. And normally when I get them written, they're poorer and shorter, which I apologise for. I feel really bad about it. Leaving you guys with nothing then these substandard chapters. On the plus side, the plot moves a bit more this time.**

**I honestly can't remember anything important I had to say in responses to reviews or plot it's been so long due to my crappyness at updating. I'm even getting worried I'm messing up the plot I'm taking so long to get chapters done.**

**I've also decided to give up on my chapter naming convention (up until now, everyone has been based on an FF song). It's proving too much effort. Mostly though, they'll probably be named after something.**

**CHAPTER XIV**

Remasa opened her eyes slowly with a groan. The tightness of the restraints had been removed. Leanne didn't want to kill them yet, evidently. They still couldn't escape however.

"Remmy's awake." Voldos observed.

"'bout time. Told you white mages had no stamina." Bootus grumbled.

"Well, you've been busy." Remmy muttered back.

"Wha?" Was all Bootus managed to say in confusion.

"Destined and heroic Light Warriors. Yet we're still captured. I thought you'd have escaped by now." Remmy mocked lightly.

"We're waiting for the opportune moment." Voldos offered in their defence.

"I think that would have been a few hours ago." Zinkata groaned.

"Well don't you guys have plans for situations like this?" Remmy asked in desperation.

"We generally just wing it." Voldos explained.

"Bootus! When you told me stories about being a Light Warrior you never mentioned you were so incompetent!" Remasa cried.

"We prefer to think of it as competency impaired." Zinkata sighed. "Look. There has to be a way out of these bonds."

"If only they weren't magic proof." Remasa complained.

"Wait? They're magic proof?" Voldos asked.

"Well, yeah. They have to be, right? I mean, you've already tried to escape that way, right?" Remasa answered. The three Light Warriors remained silent. "You haven't?" Remmy cried. "You mean we've been chained here for hours and you haven't even tried just blasting the bonds with magic?" The three Light Warriors shamefully glanced to their feet, but didn't say anything. Remasa began to chant and a bolt of lighting shot out, hitting the bonds. They paused for a moment, waiting.

"Ha! Nothing happened. We aren't that stupid." Voldos laughed. There was a slight creaking, and suddenly the elvaan's eyes went wide. The pillar they were strapped to collapsed, pulling the Light Warriors and Remasa, who were still strapped to it, down with it.

Vivli was curled up in a small room onboard the ship. Leanne had thrown her there shortly after her mental breakdown. She was still sobbing, and still unable to even think straight enough to make it to the door (which was in fact not locked, a taunt left by Leanne). Her mind was filled with images of her friends screaming in agony because she couldn't save them. Images of her own weakness failing her. Her thoughts were like a pounding headache she simply couldn't escape. She was desperate to try and escape, but she simply couldn't get away from her thoughts. She was trapped in her own mind. Everything she had fought to overcome had come crashing back down on her.

Olose's body seemed to be floating in the air, circling in the magical bonds of the werewolves' voodoo magic. Leanne was once again stood before him. Behind her, another figure in a black robe was stood, long brown hair flowing in a ponytail, and piercing brown eyes examining Olose. She seemed unusually engaged in studying him.

"Can you wake him up for a moment?" Leanne inquired.

"The status is a little shaky." Replied the other woman, clearly a necromancer. "He is held by his bonds to the ship. The slightest disturbance could awaken him again and free him."  
"Could?" Leanne questioned irritably.

"Well, I should be able to hold him, but it won't be easy." The necromancer replied.

"Life isn't easy, dear. Do it." Leanne instructed.

"Okay." The necromancer sighed, beginning to concentrate. The orange electrical bonds that held Olose in the air began to fade slightly, flickering. Olose began to stir from unconsciousness. He let out a sudden roar and tried to move.

"Don't bother." Leanne laughed. "You can't break those bonds."

"Leanne!" Olose growled. "What's the matter? Abaj not available?" He taunted angrily. "He always had you be his lapdog. Somebody on his leash."

"It would be wise to remain silent." Leanne told him simply.

"Why? Feeling a little humiliated?" Olose mocked. "I've had plenty of time to figure out what happened. Abaj Tuh was a werewolf that died, but one you managed to resurrect. That made him the legendary The One Who Is Dead, your champion. So you followed him blindly and he led you to destruction."

"It was only temporary. We are back, and this time we will be victorious." Leanne spat.

"Abaj will lead you to ruin." Olose told her simply. "But you're beginning to figure that out, aren't you?"

"Silence!" Leanne suddenly roared. "I can kill you now!"

"Wait." The necromancer suddenly said, faltering in her concentration slightly. "You're plotting against my father?" Olose's eyes went wide at this.

"Your father?" He whispered in confusion. "Abaj has a daughter?"

"You know we would never do that, my dear." Leanne smiled to the necromancer. "Abaj is our leader. By the sacred prophecy of Prometheus."

"What are you planning?" Olose asked, floating helplessly yet still seeming dangerous.

"That's why I woke you up. I wanted to explain." Leanne told him gleefully.

"What is wrong with you villains? You just decide to explain your plan to me?" Olose began to rant.

"Well, if you preferred I did not…" Leanne began with a smile.

"Let me guess. You want to tell me just so I know before you kill me? Don't you villains ever learn?" Olose was almost joking, had it not been a legitimate question.

"Why are you so quick to assume we are villainous?" Leanne snapped, yet her tone remained strangely friendly.

"You serve Prometheus." Olose reminded them.

"Not for long!" Leanne countered. "You've seen the coming wars between the nations?"  
"That was your doing." Olose pointed out.

"We but applied a pin point of pressure. This world is ready to tear itself apart at the drop of a hat. Mortals have lost sight of what it means to be alive. The gift they have." Leanne began to tell Olose.

"So you seek to punish them by wiping them out?" Olose assumed.  
"Oh no. Nothing so dark." Leanne smiled. "We attempted that, and we failed. Life is a force too strong to be eradicated. But beings such as us, we are destined to _rule_."

"Oh, so you just want to take over the world. How mundane." Olose mocked. The young looking necromancer almost looked offended. Leanne chuckled to herself.

"No. Not in a way you're thinking. This world. It needs rulers. It needs us to rule and control it to prevent the coming bloodshed. The wars between nations will occur, and occur again, and continue to occur until these pathetic mortals find ways of eradicating themselves with weapons so powerful the entire world will be gone. It is just a matter of time. We immortals can stop that. We don't want to rule the world. We wish to _save it_." Leanne explained.

"And crush everybody who can stand in your way? Including me?" Olose guessed.

"The prophecy says you can defy us. But now we have you beaten. You cannot stop us." Leanne told him. "Our plot for ultimate supremacy is already underway. We shall soon have control over Vana'diel."  
"And then what? Squander it? Sit on your thrones and smile? Kill each other for the right to rule?" Olose questioned, trying to make her see the futility of it. "You'll slip into far worse than what the world is at the moment. I know you will. You think Abaj will share power? Or will you? None of you will!"

"My father will share our power! My father is doing this for good! He only tried to kill the mortals before because he saw it as a better solution! He wants to protect them! That's why he wants to rule!" The necromancer suddenly began to shout.

"Silence!" Leanne cried at her. "Do not speak to him!"

"You know magic." Olose told her suddenly. Leanne's eyes seemed to begin to fear. "How? Werewolves can't learn magic. But you're Abaj's daughter."

"I am half human." The necromancer snarled. "My mother was a hume. As such, I am a combination of the two. Able to cast magic and become a wolf. I even revived my father after you killed him!" She cried triumphantly.

"What?" Olose whispered. "You were born _before _Abaj died?"

"I was but a baby. But yes. You murdered my father before I was given a chance to even grow up. It was twenty years before I could bring him back! _Twenty years!_" She screamed.

"STOP!" Leanne screamed.

"Abaj had no daughter." Olose whispered to himself. "Abaj had no daughter!" He suddenly yelled to the necromancer.

"Freeze him again!" Leanne ordered frantically.

"YOU ARE NOT HIS DAU-" Olose was forced to stop yelling as he screamed in agony, becoming tortured, and eventually floating again in silence. He had been returned to stasis.

"Good job." Leanne sighed. "Your father will be pleased." The necromancer remained silent, and turned beginning to leave. "You don't believe what he said, do you?" Leanne called after her in an intentionally sweet voice. The necromancer looked back for a moment, and then left.

**_FIVE HUNDRED AND FIFTY NINE YEARS EARLIER_**

Phabrizoe smiled as Olose opened the door to his wife's manor, and greeted his old friend with an ecstatic handshake, despite their height differences. Phabrizoe's hair was graying now. It had been a long time since they had first met.

"Have you seen the news?" He asked happily, holding out the _Vana'diel Tribune_.

"No. What happened?" Olose questioned.

"They've found the body of the last known necromancer. Killed by an orc ambush it seems. Authorities have been tracking him for a long time." Phabrizoe explained. "It must be the guy who resurrected Abaj. He's finally found justice." Olose thought for a moment.

"I thought you said only a werewolf could have resurrected Abaj." Olose stated. It had been a subject of much discussion between the two over the years.

"I did think that." Phabrizoe admitted. "But one of the items they found on him is described as a strange wolf with two crossed blades. We saw that symbol in the hideout of the werewolves. He has some connection to them. He must be the one. Necromancy is a strange thing, Olose. Nobody is quite sure how it works. It goes way beyond the usual raise spells. It's something that is almost impossible to understand." Olose took the paper from Phabrizoe and looked over it.

"Well, I guess it's over. A male hume. Long tangled black hair. A slight beard. Medium height. Reads nothing like I expected." Olose smirked.

"What did you expect?" Phabrizoe asked.  
"Somehow I thought he'd be an elvaan." Olose smiled.

**_FIVE HUNDRED AND FIFTY NINEYEARS LATER_**

Olose's mind had managed to remember the dead male necromancer just before he was frozen. Something didn't add up. That man had a connection to the werewolves. But what? If he wasn't the one who resurrected Abaj, and that was the girl he had seen, then what did he do? What was his role? Olose couldn't understand. Something didn't add up. Hell, nothing added up. How were the werewolves even still alive? He needed some answers. And he'd need them fast. Before they succeeded in whatever their plan was. They wanted to take over the world. The scary part was that Olose believed they could do it.

The room which contained the Light Warriors had fallen strangely silent. Finally, a voice broke it.

"Okay. I admit that could have gone better." Remasa managed to say, still strapped to the pole which was now laying on its side on the floor, broken free by her lightning bolt.  
"I'll say." Grunted Bootus, crushed under the other side.

"You're a white mage! What were you doing with black magic anyway?" Voldos grumbled.

"People take two classes, stupid." Remasa muttered with a sigh.

"Okay. We are, at least, _slightly _free." Zinkata began. "Things are beginning to look up."

"Not from down here." Came a muffled moan from Bootus, who had the weight of the pole and the three other warriors on top of him.

"Right. Bootus. Push yourself up." Zinkata ordered.

"Oh yeah. Real easy." Bootus grunted.

"C'mon. You used to be a monk! And you're a galka!" Remasa criticized.

"Oh, be quiet, shorty!" Bootus shot, straining and lifting up the pole (along with the other warriors). Eventually all four stood balanced, stumbling around, still connected to the pole.

"How are we going to fit this through that door?" Voldos asked, pointing to the exit in question. Zinkata simply sighed.

"This is going well." He managed to state.

Olose's eyes flew upon. The bonds were weak. Clearly the necromancer hadn't been able to hold him. Just like she had feared. Reestablishing the bonds had been too difficult. Olose allowed himself a slight smirk before he yanked every muscle in his body. The bonds of energy crackled and suddenly burst apart in a bright flash of orange. Olose was flung to the floor and landed with a grunt.

He quickly climbed to his feet, and took a moment to look around the hold of his old ship. He smiled slightly. It felt odd to be on the small boat again, but he remembered it perfectly. Too perfectly. It was why they could use it to capture him in the first place.

Olose began to run, but skidded to a halt instantly. The necromancer stood before him in the doorway.

"I knew you'd free yourself. I let you." She stated simply.

"Sure. Whatever. Now move, or die." Olose warned.

"I freed you for a reason." She told him. "I wanted to hear what you had to say." She explained. Olose paused. This was his opportunity to solve the little mystery.

"Why did the wolves have another necromancer if they had you?" He asked inquisitively. "There was a hume necromancer. He worked for your cult. Why?"

"Simple." The necromancer stated. "He saved my life." She told him.

"What?" Olose questioned.

"I died. When I was a baby. A miscarriage." The necromancer explained. "But I was the only half human half werewolf. They needed me to resurrect Abaj as their hero. So they got the hume necromancer to bring me back. I was half his species, so the magic worked."

"Died as a baby?" Olose whispered. "What's your name?"  
"Talia." The woman stated.

For the first time in his six century long life, Olose fainted from shock.


	16. Death of the Destiny

**Author's Note: Here's the next chapter. A little sooner than normal, but the updates are still slower than I'd like. The end of this chapter represents my attempts to return to a bit of a smaller scale. I've decided it's what I'm better at. This epic stuff is good for a conclusion, but not for a whole story. So I want to get back to some of the little things. Some of my old favourite scenes to write were the little ones, like the Light Warriors grabbing lunch or such, so I'm trying to reduce the scale a bit. Hopefully it'll work and keep this story from sucking as much as it has up until this point.**

**And damn all of you who figured out the plot twist. I really thought I was gonna surprise you there. God, I wish I wasn't so predictable…**

**CHAPTER XV**

"This is not our best plan ever." Voldos spoke up.

"No, I think it is. That's what worries me." Zinkata added.

"Just be quiet and lean forward!" Remasa commanded, having pretty much taken command, deciding the Light Warriors were far too incompetent for their own good. The four of them were still strapped to the gigantic wooden pole, now broken off from the roof and ceiling. The problem they had encountered was that the pole was much bigger than the exit, meaning their escape had hit a snag.

"This is really heavy." Bootus grunted, leaning forwards and taking most of the weight in an attempt to fit it through the door.

"You realise even if we get out we'll have to deal with an immortal army while tied to a pole?" Zinkata pointed out.

"Not to mention rescue Vivli." Bootus added. He suddenly felt like everybody was staring at him, despite the fact they couldn't actually see each other. "What?" He protested. "I'm only sayin'."

"He does have a point." Voldos confessed.

"Let's just get out the door first, shall we?" Zinkata requested with a sigh.

The four warriors stumbled forwards somewhat comically, and crashed the pole into the frame above the door. The four of them stumbled back and toppled over backwards, this time crushing Remasa under the weight of the wooden pole.

"Oh. Urm. Opps." Bootus mumbled.

"Mppphm!" Came a muffled noise from under the pole.

"Okay. We need to get back up." Voldos stated.

"Oh, ya think?" Bootus taunted.

"Any ideas on how, genius?" Zinkata joined in.

"Let's roll over to Bootus, and then he can push us back up." Voldos suggested. Zinkata sighed, but they didn't exactly have a better plan.

"Okay. Let's go for it." Zinkata decided, intentionally rolling the way that would crush Voldos on the way to Bootus. Voldos let out a muffled scream as Zinkata and Bootus forced themselves into a roll, before managing to edge it back onto Bootus, who simply let out a grunt of disapproval.

"I see stars and pixies and unicorns…" Remasa sang in a crushed daze. Voldos joined in some time afterwards.

"Okay. And lift!" Zinkata ordered. Bootus lifted up the pole again, and the four of them let out a sigh of disapproval.

"I think we need a better plan." Bootus suggested with a groan.

Olose awoke with a sharp kick to his ribs.

"Get up!" Talia commanded. "I don't know what that was about, but it's not gonna help you escape."

"Talia…"Olose groaned. "It…it can't be…"

"You got some aversion to the name? I said get up!" Talia kicked him again. "Leanne was right. I should never have let you go."

"Talia! You're my daughter!" Olose cried, climbing to his feet.

"You tell everybody that one when you're in a desperate situation or am I just lucky?" Talia snarled. "I thought you might be telling the truth when you said Abaj wasn't my father, but you? Please. I've seen better escape plans from children."

"Children who tell the truth?" Olose ventured, almost angrily. Talia smirked, trying to dismiss him. "Why are you working for them?" Olose shot. "I can see your heart isn't in it."

"Isn't in it?" Talia laughed. "Do you really think I would have resurrected the entire lycanthropic race if my 'heart wasn't in it'." She cackled.

"What?" Olose gasped. "You…saved the werewolves?"

"Yes, Olose. They survived through me." She boomed triumphantly. "Your little trick didn't kill me. I was only half werewolf. I didn't die. So I found the orb and I used it to project a resurrection spell. The same way it contacts every member of the race to kill them I used to save my people. The people you killed Olose!"

"Don't accuse me. I know you're planning to use the orb again. You're planning to kill every race. You can't judge me." Olose shot back. Talia smiled to herself.

"Oh no, Olose, what Leanne said was true. We're not seeking to destroy anything this time. We can't. Using resurrection magic through the orb caused it to shatter."

"Ha. So it's not as if it's by choice." Olose taunted. "So what? You spent the rest of your time trying to find a way to inflict the same destruction?"

"No! We're not like you!" Talia growled. "We won't wipe out an entire race!"

"I did what I had to do, Talia." Olose answered. "And I don't regret it."

"You almost killed me, Olose. You claim I'm your daughter, you almost killed me, and you don't regret it?" Talia asked sceptically.

"You were dead!" Olose protested. "Abaj killed you!"

"How _dare _you?" Talia screamed. "Abaj is my father! I don't care if you _are _my biological parent. You did nothing for me. Abaj raised me, protected me and taught me. He's my true father, regardless of genes."

"He murdered you!" Olose yelled, sobbing openly. "He murdered you in front of me! You were a week old and he killed you!"

"Shut up!" Talia shouted back. "Shut up!" She repeated, drawing twin swords from her belt. "He's my father! I won't let you say things like that!" She lunged at him and Olose jumped back.

"I won't fight my daughter." Olose told her plainly.

"Makes my job easier." Talia grinned, thrusting both swords at Olose. Olose dropped to the floor and kicked upwards, knocking one of the blades away. Talia brought about the other and drove it downwards. Olose rolled to the side, causing her to drive it into the wooden deck of the ship. Olose kicked her back, away from the blade, and sprang to his feet. Talia stood, unarmed, furiously growling at him.

"Now stop this!" Olose commanded.

"Never!" Talia screeched back, flinging herself at him with all the power she could.

The two rocketed into the hull of the ship and out the other side, into the sea. Water began to gush in and the ancient hull of the _Destiny_ began to crumble, the magical seal the werewolves had got Talia to install to keep it together now broken.

Leanne had predicted Talia's response, and calmly set about preparing for evacuation. She decided that at least the sinking ship would deal with the Light Warriors once and for all, and luckily she had tarutaru slaves well versed in black magic, and thus teleportation. They could easily teleport her and her troops away.

Water began to gush into the hold that held the four heroes, who were still struggling with the pole.

"Uh oh." Voldos vocalised. "We need to get out of this. _Now_."

"Right. That does it!" Remasa snapped. "I've got to blast it with magic. It's our only way out."

"Okay, but aim carefully." Zinkata instructed.

"No! Wait!" Voldos cried.

"What?" Remasa growled, feeling that the elvaan wasn't appreciating the urgency of the situation.

"Lightning conducts!" He explained. "You miss even slightly and you'll hit the water, frying us all."

"Wow. Voldos makes a surprisingly good point." Bootus admitted.

"Fine! I'll use a fireball!" Remasa decided, casting as she did so and sending a fiery blast into the wooden pole. The four froze.

"Urm, wood is flammable Remmy." Bootus pointed out.

"I'm painfully aware of that _now_." Remasa muttered, the pole in flames. Fire had splashed off in the hit and set parts of the ship alight as well. It wasn't only sinking, but now on fire.

"This is not going well!" Voldos cried, the four still strapped to the now burning piece of wood.

"Is it me, or is it getting hot in here?" Bootus asked sarcastically. The ship seemed to creak loudly.

"Before we all die, I think we should settle that this was Remmy's fault." Zinkata decided sarcastically.

"My fault?" Remasa protested. "You're the one who wouldn't let me use lightning!"

"Yeah, 'cause getting zapped is so much more fun than burnt." Bootus mocked. The ship let out another creak and the far wall collapsed, causing water to gush in.

A body tumbled in with it, but he was only a silhouette, clouded by the smoke hissing as the steam put out the fire.

"What have you got yourselves into now?" Olose spluttered, coughing slightly from the flood of water.

"Olose! Get us out of this thing!" Remasa cried.

"Why are you on fire?" Olose asked curiously as he set about breaking the metal bonds that held them to the flaming pole.

"Long story." Zinkata swept the issue aside quickly.

"Where's Viv?" Olose moved on to more important issues.

"Don't you know?" Voldos returned.

"I've been in magical stasis!" Olose reminded him.

"That's no excuse." Grumbled the elvaan. Olose freed the last of them using his werewolf strength and dropped the pole in the ever increasing water, putting out the flames.

"Right. Hold on to that. It'll keep us afloat at least." Olose decided, taking command.

"What about Vivli?" Remasa quickly asked. "We can't just leave her!"

"The ship's falling apart." Olose replied. "We don't have time to find her."

"Vivli can't swim. She'll drown!" Zinkata cried as the pole, along with the warriors clinging to it, were swept out of the hole that was ever growing larger in the side of the ship.

Waves crashed around the brave heroes as it became evident that the sea was in fact quite stormy. They looked around in desperation. The _Destiny_, in flames and sinking, began to break apart.

"She's gonna be swept out. I'll try and catch her!" Olose yelled over the roaring ocean.

"Where are all the wolves?" Voldos asked.

"Teleported, I wouldn't mind betting." Remasa's voice was almost drowned out by the crashing waves. Olose sighed and let go of the pole, fighting against the waves to get towards the ship.

Vivli had been sat in a strange state of silence, shivering from the cold and her own trauma, when the back wall of her cell broke apart and freezing cold water crashed down on her, dragging her out to sea. She screeched, but only inhaled a lung full of water, and started spluttering. She was underwater and there was nothing she could do to get air. She kicked and flung her arms about, but it didn't do much good, other than making her worn out. She was sinking, and she couldn't get even a breath of air. Her head began to erupt in pain. Her body began to shake. She felt like she would be sick, if it wasn't for the water. She felt faint, her head exploding from agony, and she gave up, unable to do anything but slip into blackness.

Vivli awoke with a coughing splutter, but didn't really feel like she could move. She felt like she was burning up from a fever. Bootus leaned into view over her.

"You're finally awake!" He cried.

"I am?" Vivli croaked, her voice sore from salt water. "Owy." She muttered childishly.

"She's awake?" Olose's voice seemed to grin itself, which was kind of creepy, now that Vivli came to think of it.

"_Finally_." Bootus groaned sarcastically. Olose stuck his head into view over her. Vivli still couldn't move.  
"Hey." He smiled.

"Hey." She sighed back, barely able to speak.

"Zin, get me another damp leaf." Olose seemed to order.

"Leaf?" Vivli asked wearingly. A blur of hands passed something to Olose and he rested the soothing cold leaf on her forehead.

"You have a fever Vivli." Olose said calmly. "Turns out your immune system is about as frail as the rest of you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Vivli tried to shout, but it came out as a raspy croak.

"It means you need to eat more and stop being so dammed skinny." Bootus told her. Vivli rolled her head to glare at the galka, but couldn't really see him.

"Here. Eat this." Voldos's voice was heard, and Olose passed Vivli something small and chewy. She began to munch on it weakly, still unable to move properly. Olose had lifted her head up and rested it in his arms.

"What is it?" She asked in a confused blur.

"Just some grubs I found." Voldos answered matter-of-factly.

"Grubs? Eww!" Vivli suddenly screeched, coughing them out of her mouth.

"No! Eat them!" Bootus seemed to enjoy ordering Vivli about, even in her ill state.

"No!" Vivli complained. "Get me some real food!" She demanded like a spoilt child.

"Urr, Viv, this is all we've got." Zinkata told her.

"What? Where are we?" Vivli tried to sit up, but couldn't, still feeling faint, and as if she was burning up, even with the cool leaf upon her forehead. Olose lifted her up a bit in his arms, and let her slump against him.

She got a clear view of a stretch of white beach, and could make out bits of a jungle behind them. No signs of civilisation though. She had no idea where they were.

Voldos popped into view in front of her, and she jolted back a bit.

"Welcone to…" He began in his creepiest voice, "The Island!"

"Voldos! Stop trying to scare her!" Zinkata cried from outside Vivli's point of view. His tone was so patronising it infuriated her. He was treating her like such a child.

"Viv, you seriously need to eat up." Olose told her.

"I'm not eating icky bugs!" Vivli protested, getting enough of her voice back to really sound whiny.

"Viv, you've been out for four days." Olose began to explain. "Slipping in out of fever, delusions, you're lucky to be alive. You need to eat something or-" He caught himself, and stopped. Vivli blinked, and leaned her head back to look at him.

"Or what?" She croaked, her throat in pain from the salt. Olose's face seemed pained.

"Viv, or, you're gonna die." He said sadly.

Olose knew in truth it might be too late. Vivli had caught the fever just after they heroes had been washed up. Possibly while they were at sea. Her body was just too frail to fight it. And she was showing no signs of recovery. Her waking up was a good sign, but he couldn't see her getting over it. Not without a warm bed, plenty of medicine and good luck. They had none of those things. Remasa had been doing her best, but magic couldn't repel sickness like this, so they were down to basic nursing techniques. This basically involved keeping something damp to keep her temperature down and feeding her water from a nearby stream.

As if on cue, Remasa arrived with a cool half coconut shell full of water. She offered Vivli the water, who took it weakly. Olose moved his own arms to support Vivli's own, helping her hold the makeshift cup. She gulped it down, the cold water doing wonders to her sore throat. She let her arms go limp in relaxation, and rested against Olose's lap. Olose held her, looking down, clearly very worried.

Bootus wondered and joined Voldos and Zinkata who were stood by the sea, watching the waves come in.

"It's an improvement, at least." Bootus observed.

"Not enough." Zinkata replied, stubble all over his face from the days spent roughly on the island. "We could make a raft or something, but Vivli simply wouldn't survive. And Remasa's still had no luck with teleportation."

"Those bastards must have sabotaged the crags when they arrived." Voldos sighed, no stubble upon his elvaan face, but his usually slick black hair was a frizzy mess from the sea. They both looked a bit of a mess. Bootus's messy beard and hair were nothing new, so he at least looked mostly unchanged.

"I honestly don't know what we can do. I don't know what we're going to do this time." Zinkata admitted. "Out there somewhere, the werewolves are putting their plans into action, and we're stuck here because Vivli's sick!"

"Don't sound so angry with her Zin." Voldos said calmly. He looked at Zin curiously. "You seriously have some unresolved issues with her." He added in a mumble.

"I'm just being realistic." Zinkata countered. "If she wasn't such a wimp, we wouldn't be in this mess!" Zinkata could shout all he wanted, but it was obvious to the other two warriors he was just trying to hide his concern deep down. He didn't want to fall for Vivli again, and so he resorted to hostility. At least, that was the other warriors' current theory on the situation.

Vivli looked up to Olose, blinking one long hard blink, almost as if she was intentionally doing it.

"He's so mad at me." Vivli muttered deliriously. "He doesn't like me. He's never going to like me again." She muttered sadly. Remasa knelt down beside Vivli and put another damp leaf on her forehead.

"Get some rest, Viv." The tarutaru instructed. "I want you to get better."

"Olose said I'm gonna die." Vivli managed to say dreamily.

"Great, she's going delusional again." Remasa sighed, clearly concerned.

"I never said that." Olose smiled to the sick mithra. "You'll be just fine." Vivli shut her eyes, and seemed to instantly fall to sleep.

Olose looked around to the jungle, and looked up at a plateau off in the distance. He sighed.

"This place seems familiar somehow." He muttered. Remasa looked up to him. Some birds fluttered out of the jungle far away, obviously scared off by something. "I have a bad feeling about this." The immortal warrior sighed.


	17. The Big Bad

**Author's Notes: Okay, extreme apologies on my part. Did you know it's been six weeks since an update? Coming from the person who used to update daily. I'm extremely sorry. I've been very, very lazy. I've also been struggling a bit with this plot, but I think I'm beginning to work it out now, which is good. Although I do get the distinct impression I should have left it as a trilogy without doing this story. But anyway, I am extremely sorry for the delay. I am seriously planning on updating better, but may actually be extremely busy over the next couple of weeks with a university production, so if I fail to update again, urm, just send me an e-mail shout or something. That'll kick me into gear and help me find the time.**

**I noticed a big flaw in this story, actually. Well, not big. But I've been referring to Promethia as _Prometheus_, who is a Greek titan. Promethia is the FFXI god. I haven't gone back and corrected this, but if you hate errors like that, just pretend Prometheus is a nickname people have for him, like how some gods have different names. It'll be correct from hereon.**

**Also the problem with these slow updates is that writing style can change a bit. Like Remasa changed between "Remasa" and "Remmy" in the prose. Sorry about that too. That's just me being a bad writer. But sorry all the same.**

**Either way, enjoy this chapter, sorry it was so long in coming. If you're bored between updates, post on the forums I made! They've been dead for a while and I'd _love _it if they came back to life. So check them out. You can yell at me for not updating there too.**

**Anyway, enjoy, and sorry again.**

**CHAPTER XVI**

Leanne walked into the massive cave, dragging Talia with her, and knelt before a hooded figure, seated on a massive chair. Abaj Tuh, as living as ever.

"Why have you brought my daughter before me?" Came a simple question.

"She freed Olose and conspired with him." Leanne explained. Abaj took a step from his throne and began to walk down to face her.

"The way that I saw it, you freed Olose when you woke him up to gloat. You were warned that the spell could not hold." Abaj explained.

"No. It was her failure-" Leanne began to explain. But it was all that she said. Abaj drew a silver sword and sliced off her head in one smooth movement. Talia jolted in shock.

"Five hundred and fifty years and she continues to fail me. Discipline was long overdue." Abaj spoke from under his hood, horrific scars all over his mangled face clearly visible. "I'm disappointed in you, too, Talia. I had hoped that you would not be taken in my Olose's lies."

"I'm sorry, father." Talia stated coldly. "I did try to destroy him for you."

"It doesn't matter. Things are in motion now that cannot be undone." Abaj explained. "And it is no ancient prophecy or scheme of the gods. It's these mortals. All we had to do was push a few buttons and they're marching on each other. Bastok has dispatched its armies to confront San d'Oria. By tomorrow, the two nations will destroy each other. Windurst and Jeuno will surely try to intervene. And all shall die." Abaj paused, just to smile to himself. "And the irony is that they will have destroyed each other. From the ash we will rise to rule and guide the new nation. We shall be the new masters of Vana'diel."

"I am aware of the plan, father." Talia said dryly, not quite understanding Abaj's tendency to explain evil plots in such detail.

"Then you are probably asking why I am in such a good mood despite Olose's escape? This is all average stuff. Our plot finally coming to light. I have planned this. It is not enough to make me pleased. It is the result of a simple calculation." Abaj began to tell his fake daughter.

"So what are you so happy about?" Talia asked.

"We've found him." Abaj grinned in response.

Vivli opened her eyes wearingly. She was now under what looked like a blurry big leaf. She could hear rain falling. She struggled to move, but just gave up with a groan. She felt something damp and cool on her forehead. Olose stood over her and smiled.

"I decided ripping up my shirt was a little more effective than leaves." He told her, holding a wet rag evidently made from his shirt. His battered leather jacket still hung around him. "You're still burning up. Not much better."

"It's raining." Vivli weakly observed.

"Yes, it is. Luckily there are some gigantic plants here. The leaf will keep the rain off you." Olose explained.

"But rain is cold." Vivli muttered, still clearly somewhat delirious. Olose just smiled.

"I'll collect some for you. You can have a drink." Olose told her.

"Where's Zin?" She ventured as he went to leave. Olose paused, and sighed.

"Out hunting with the others." He stated.

Zinkata smashed into a tree and dropped down with a groan. A gigantic monster roared at him, and charged. Bootus dove out of nowhere tackling it. It spun around and hissed, a mighty green tentacle wrapping around his leg and hurling him into a nearby river. An arrow thudded into it from Voldos, who sighed.

"I hate Malboros." He commented, the rain dribbling down his face. The heroes had in fact been lucky, having successfully recovered their weapons from wreckage. Without them, encounters such as this could have been much deadlier.

"I must admit," Zinkata began, getting to his feet, "This one is particularly annoying." Bootus sprang out of the river and started slicing with his scythe, dicing the long arms of the creature. The Malboro turned and hissed at him, spreading its bad breath and leaving the galka feeling quite dizzy.

"Now that's what I call comeuppance!" Voldos joked.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Bootus protested, just before the beast slapped him back into the river with its many arms.

"Shame Viv isn't here to enjoy this." Voldos added. Zinkata ran at it while it was facing the other way and leapt, driving his sword into its back. It howled, its tentacles flying everywhere, and it finally collapsed. The three Light Warriors regrouped, panting.

"Why is it wherever we go there's monsters?" Zinkata sighed.

"Well. We got food." Bootus grinned.

"It's a Malboro! You can't eat a Malboro!" Voldos pointed out.

"Sure you can." Bootus countered. "It's considered a delicacy in some parts of the world."

"Yeah, the _crazy _parts." Voldos countered.

"Maybe Viv's sophisticated princess taste buds will survive it?" The galka suggested with a grin.

"We should have a rule. Like, 'don't mock the sick'." Zinkata suggested.

"But where's the fun in that?" Bootus complained.

"Well, guess we should keep searching then." Voldos groaned.

"Yeah, just try not to get attacked again." Zinkata sighed.

"Hey! It totally went for Bootus first! Not me!" Voldos protested.

Zinkata sighed for a second time.

Olose lifted Vivli up into his arms. She seemed to be asleep. He couldn't help but smile to himself. She felt unnatural in his hands, almost as if he was holding a person made from silk. The white magic released inside her body had had a strange effect. Not only was her hair blonde, but as a whole, she seemed pure. Her soft skin, her delicate features seemingly emphasised, he even noticed she always had a sweet smell about her (despite days of suffering from a fever washed up on a beach). Of course, she still had an anorexic appearance that he didn't find particularly attractive, but the rest of her awed him.

Remasa was sat down the beach and seemed to smile as she noticed Olose looking at Vivli. For an immortal, she found him surprisingly easy to read.

Vivli seemed to awaken with a cat like yawn, and she saw Olose holding her. She simply smiled, and then her face contorted with effort. It became clear she was trying to achieve something, but for a moment, Olose was unsure of what. She spread out her arms and tried desperately to sit up, seeking for the strength.

He eventually figured out that she was trying to hug him, and helped her the rest of the way.

Talia gave Abaj a blank stare.

"Found who?" She asked simply.

"Furcas." Abaj replied, smiling with a horrible kind of joy.

"Furcas?" Talia questioned. "Who is Furcas?" Abaj merely laughed.

"You don't know?" He asked simply. "Furcas is the first of many. The original werewolf created by Promethia to spread his curse to the rest of us. Furcas is a demon soldier. _The_ demon soldier that carried the plague of lycanthropy."

"And we've found him because?" Talia asked with a confused look upon her face.

"Furcas fell into a deep sleep after he began to spread the plague. Nobody knew why. But I found out. He was manipulated by a force upon this planet. The Destroyer of Worlds."

"The Destroyer of Worlds? You mean that creature the Light Warriors killed?" Talia questioned, beginning to feel she understood.

"Yes. Almost four years ago they destroyed him and freed us all from his manipulations. In doing so, there is now nothing to prevent Furcas from awakening." Abaj explained.

"So we get a powerful ally because of what they did." Talia smiled.

"No." Abaj stated. "We're going to destroy him."

Talia gave Abaj yet another blank stare.

Vivli sighed, resting against Olose.

"I'm sick." She stated simply.

"Worked it out yourself?" Olose lightly mocked. "And they say you're blonde." Vivli frowned at him. "Sorry." He laughed innocently.

"I mean, I'm sick. And I'm a white mage. It's not right." Vivli explained. She promptly shut her eyes and looked very much like she was concentrating hard.

"Urr, Viv?" Olose questioned.

"Shh!" She snapped, her eyes flying open for just a second, before they sealed again.

Vivli felt her own cure spell wash over her body as it normally did, but this time she focused intently inwards. She felt her own bloodstream flowing through her. She felt more than that. She felt the cells. Individual cells floating around in plasma. She felt even deeper, and could feel the individual cells that didn't belong. She could feel the fever. She concentrated on it, and in a flash of magic, it was gone.

Vivli gasped and opened her eyes, feeling woozy.

"Viv? You alright?" Olose asked quickly.

"I'm fine." Vivli stated, getting up. She ached, but the illness had left her. "I'm fine." She repeated, a little surprised. Remasa began to walk over to her, a confused look upon her face.

"You cast out the illness with magic?" Remasa questioned.

"Yes." Vivli nodded happily, managing a smile.

"But…that isn't possible." Remasa said, more to herself than to Vivli. "We can't cure all illnesses with white magic. We never have been able to." Vivli looked away, shyly.

"I know." She admitted.

"You think this has something to do with the whole…" Olose stumbled, searching for the right word. "…blonde thing." He finished, deciding that was the best way to sum it up.  
"It's possible, if her abilities with magic were increased beyond a normal level by that. I can't think of it ever happening before-" Remasa began, but was interrupted.

"It's happened." Olose stated. "And on a much grander scale than with Vivli here. When magic is repressed, when it's restored it normally ends up as being much more powerful. I guess that's what we're seeing here."

"So I'm a better mage now?" Vivli beamed, finally finding something she could be proud of.

"That's how I figure it." Olose smiled to her.

"You could be becoming more powerful than even the High Priestess." Remasa said comfortingly.

Of course, the happy moment didn't last long. This particular time it was disrupted by a rustle from the bushes nearby.

"Running would be good!" Came the cry of Voldos as he dove into view. Zinkata and Bootus came up behind him. Voldos stopped to fire an arrow backwards, but apparently it didn't stop whatever was perusing him, because he quickly began to run again. Vivli and Olose scrambled to their feet, and Remasa, who was already standing, began to run. Vivli let out a shriek as she ran out into the rain, feeling the water wash over her and plaster her hair down her back. "Hey, Viv, you're up!" Voldos observed with a smile.

"I got better." She smiled back.

"Seriously, running time is now!" Bootus panted. Vivli looked back, and couldn't help but feel like the entire jungle was coming alive.

"We sent you for food, and you've doomed us all." Olose casually mumbled as he began to sprint, taking Vivli's hand to drag her behind him. "You suck." He said simply.

"It wasn't our fault!" Voldos protested. "Well, Bootus's maybe."

"Oh, don't try and pin this one on me, elf boy!" Bootus countered.

"Let's get to the beach!" Zinkata decided. "Out in the open. From there, maybe we can plan something. Anything!"

"I've been better thirty seconds and already we're going to die." Vivli grumbled to herself, and then sighed. Olose just pulled on her arm and got her to run faster.

Talia eyed Abaj with an expression so puzzled it even made Abaj slightly uncomfortable.

"We've found Furcas, the original werewolf, the most powerful of us all, direct servant of Promethia, and we're going to _kill _him?" She questioned in total confusion.

"Yes." Abaj stated simply. "Furcas was created by Promethia to spread the plague. He is not a werewolf like us, but a demon. A demon that is the pure form of lycanthropy. He spread it into Altana's creations. He is the vessel that Promethia used to spread his corruption. His power is beyond any of us. And he serves no one but Promethia himself. He's unpredictable and he's dangerous. And now that the Destroyer of Worlds is gone, there's nothing to stop him waking up." Abaj explained. "We cannot afford to have him interfere. He'd take over. He'd change our plans. We'd lose everything to him!"

"So you wanted to find him first and kill him so that he can't?" Talia guessed.

"Exactly." Abaj answered. "And now we have." Abaj walked over to the wall of his lair and drew a silver long sword. "With Olose and his cronies missing, and Furcas destroyed, we will at last be the only power on Vana'diel worth anything. The land will be ours."

The six heroes ran out onto the beach, and turned around just in time to see hoards of malboros emerging from the jungle.

"When I said you were good at making friends, I didn't mean like this." Remasa panted to Bootus.

"It's not my fault! They followed me!" Voldos snapped in an automatic defence.. "Oh, you were talking to Bootus, right?" He corrected afterwards. "Nevermind."

"Don't you just love this place." Olose sighed. "I count at least twelve."

"Think we can take them?" Zinkata asked calmly, salvaged sword at the ready.

"They seemed a bit tougher than usual." Voldos observed. "And there's a lot."

"Tougher?" Vivli squeaked in fear, trying not to look too much like she was hiding behind Olose (which was, of course, exactly what she was doing).

"Wuss." Bootus sighed.

"Work some magic mojo you two!" Zinkata ordered to Remasa and Vivli.

"Magic mojo?" Remasa repeated sceptically.

"Now is _not _the time to criticise my choice of words!" Zinkata protested. "Just keep them away from us! Concentrate your fire on one, maybe you can take one or two down before they get here!"

Vivli focused on the malboros, seemingly slithering towards them, slowly. They didn't need to rush. Their prey was trapped by the expansive sea. She shut her eyes, and Zinkata's orders faded. She began to focus on each malboro. She began to summon the magical energy required to attack, but usually when she attempted it in a situation like this it just filtered down, and she had to target one. This time it felt different. The power surged up through her, and she could feel every single malboro approaching them.

"Holy Flare!" She screamed at the top of her voice, and massive explosions of white light hit every one of the vile creatures. Remasa's eyes went wide.

"What was that?" She asked quickly. Vivli seemed to be panting heavily after the casting, and turned to Remasa.

"I have no idea." She gasped, still desperate for breath. She looked at the fried malboros, and gulped as they began advancing again.

"Can you do that again?" Zinkata asked in his usual business like manner. Vivli felt slightly hurt. She'd of at least liked some praise from him.

"N-no." She answered sadly. "I need to rest. Refocus. That took everything I had."

"And it didn't stop them." Remasa pointed out.

"Not to mention 'Holy Flare' is a really stupid name." Bootus grumbled. "You need someone else to name your spells, methinks."

"Other issues here, guys!" Zinkata cried.

"More are coming." Vivli half gasped, half sobbed.

"Who thought we'd go down like this? To a bunch of stupid run of the mill monsters?" Voldos muttered, firing pointless arrows, trying to slow them down.

"We're not going anywhere!" Olose snapped.

"That doesn't sound like a good strategy." Remasa commented. "I would have thought getting as far away as possible would be better."

"Figure of speech." Olose grumbled.

"Well, where can we run to?" Zinkata asked, looking back at the ocean.

"Can't swim!" Vivli quickly shouted, before anybody could suggest it. A sudden sound tore through the air. The beating rotor blades of an airship.

They all looked in relief.

"That'll do." Zinkata quietly whispered.

Abaj plunged his silver sword into the heart of the sleeping beast. Furcas looked like nothing Talia had ever seen. For a moment, she thought he had resembled Bear in his werebear form, but he didn't. He was large, yet not quite the size of the fully transformed Bear, and was covered in a black sludge. He seemed to have a permanent wolf form, yet not like the other werewolves. This one was smoother, and the same black as the sludge that covered him. And he was sleeping, peacefully. Or he had been. Now he was dying. Such an intimidating creature, writhing and dying by their hand.

For the first time in a long time Talia actually felt like they were doing good.

And then there was an impact like a meteor crash to Abaj's chest and he rocketed across the room.

A rope ladder fell down from the airship, and the heroes quickly jumped on without a thought.

"If you want to, come on up!" A man cried from the deck. "Well, I mean, if you think you want to. After all, who knows what anybody wants? They always say we don't know what we truly want. So maybe you don't want to. But if you _think _you want to, then I suggest you come up here, because you're going to be eaten, and even if you actually want to be eaten and you don't know it then you'll think you want to get up here so it's best to climb up."

The entire group sighed depressively, except for Remasa, who blinked in confusion.

"Hi Steve!" Vivli beamed, waving.

"Not again." Bootus groaned.

"Just get up the ladder!" Zinkata ordered. Bootus grabbed Remasa and threw her on his back, the ladder blatantly not made for tarutarus. Vivli tried to climb up, but as usual couldn't hold herself on the rope ladder. Things were even more difficult as her now considerably softer hands just slipped as she tried to pull herself up. Olose smiled to himself as he took her and carried her up. He saw any excuse to hold her as a gift.

Furcas stood at his full height, and Talia suddenly felt the need to reassess her previous thoughts on him being shorter than Bear. The silver sword was still lodged in his heart.

"This is your bane, corrupted, not mine." The creature growled, pulling the sword from his heart and throwing it aside. Abaj stumbled to his feet, looking on in fear. "You are all corrupted creatures of Altana. I am your creator. Your weaknesses are yours. They do not concern me." He began to slowly advance on Abaj.

"W-what do you want?" Abaj stammered.

"You are in my servitude." Furcas announced.

"Yes, my master." Abaj walked before Furcas, bowed, and suddenly launched himself into an attack. He drove his fist into Furcas's body with as much power as he could manage. "Fool! I serve no one!" Abaj bellowed. Despite the force of his punch, Furcas seemed un-phased, His body jolted from the blow and he grabbed Abaj's hand before he could retract it, and snapped it clean off. He lifted up his leg and kicked Abaj, sending him flying back again.

"You are in my servitude. There is no choice." Furcas stated. Talia, panicking, launched her most powerful fireball at the monster's back. It slammed against him, exploding spectacularly. Furcas turned, unaffected. "Fire, from a corrupted?" Furcas pondered. "You have access to the magicks. You are of use to me. You too are in my servitude." Talia swallowed, hard, beginning to quiver. "You!" Furcas bellowed at the pained Abaj, clutching his bloody arm stump. "You asked me what I wanted. I desire to destroy them. To destroy them all."

Abaj listened intently, and slowly his expression of horror turned to a sinister smile.


	18. Time Out

**Author's Note: Again, I'm sorry this update was so slow! I've just been lazy lately. Getting my writing going is proving really difficult. That and I've been distracted watching all the seasons of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' (don't laugh!). Ahem. Still haven't finished them. Anyway, here's the latest update.**

**I'm afraid it's just a little shorter than usual, because I suck. As I said, I'm finding it hard to update. Also, I must confess, not too much happens in this chapter, but I felt it important to have one where I can spend time focusing on fun Light Warrior interaction, at least for a little bit. I used to love writing the 'domestic' bits in the other stories, as much as the adventure bits, so I tried to work a little in here.**

**However, as a present (and well, 'cause it was fun) I made a FFXI Chronicles wallpaper using the cool model viewer thing that I got shown. It _should _be here: ****img474.imageshack.us/img474/1187/ffxichronicleswallpaper7bu.png**

**(Copy and paste the link, this has been edited after it was brought to my attention it didn't actually work, something to do with formatting messed with the start bit of it).**

**Emphasis on the _should_, I can't guarantee it'll work. And okay, it's nothing great, but I thought it might be fun. And make me feel better about updating slower. And yes, Bootus is a monk despite his dark knightness, but I figured it was so much more Bootusy to be punching something in a gi than the stupid heavy dark knight armour. Same way Viv is always in a white mage outfit despite her summoner training. Just suits them better.**

**Oh, and the dimensions are probably a little off for an actual wallpaper, so it might have to be stretched or something. But I doubt anybody actually wants something I made on their desktop, I just thought it'd be a cool picture.**

**Urm, I'll be quiet now.**

**Anyway, hope that at least makes up for my ATROCIOUS update schedule that probably won't get any better.**

**Hope you enjoy though! **

**CHAPTER XVII**

"San d'Oria and Bastok are already at war, my master." Abaj explained to the towering Furcas, desperate to find his favour.

"At war? _That _is your solution?" Furcas pondered, seemingly angry.

"W-well, they will weaken each other, and leave us with the opportunity to take over." Abaj explained, not yet fully adapted to his newfound fear. He had never had a reason to fear anybody. But Furcas inspired it.

"We don't wish to take over. We wish to destroy them." Furcas stated clearly.

"Well, yes, but how?" Abaj questioned. Furcas gave him a dead stare, one that sent a chill to even Abaj's bones. "I mean, not even you are powerful enough to wipe them all out, and the orb Promethia gifted us with is gone. Rulership is the second best thing."

"You may settle for second best, not I." Furcas growled.

"You keep drawing these lines between us, _boss_." Abaj began sarcastically. "But you're not offering any solutions." Furcas roared, grabbed Abaj, and threw him back across the room, causing him to slam into the far wall.

"My solution is this. If we cannot destroy them, He will." Furcas began to pace. "We shall call Promethia into this world! And He shall crush all those that stand before us! He shall make this world His and forever and at last Altana shall breathe her last."

"It's been attempted before." Abaj warned. "But they just managed to kick him right back out of this dimension."

"That was but an ounce of His power. I am linked to Him. I am His creation. I shall call Promethia forth and He shall truly be God. Nobody will be able to stand against Him. No mortal force shall stop Him. This world shall burn and all Altana has created will be undone." Furcas smiled to himself for only a moment, before quickly snapping out orders. "You are to encourage the war. The bodies of the mortals shall be my instruments. Lead them to war and their deaths and then we shall begin. Get your mage to-"

"Talia?" Abaj suddenly questioned. "She's … gone?" Abaj looked around, but realised too late that Talia had completely vanished. She had fled. Probably a teleport spell she had access to.

"_FIND HER!_" Furcas roared. "I will not be disobeyed!"

"Of course, master." Abaj bowed awkwardly, not used to the motion, and quickly fled the evil being's presence.

Crazy Steve piloted the airship at the same time as having a particularly animated discussion with a coffee mug while the heroes lazed around on deck.

Vivli walked across the deck to the others, having just left the cabin.

"Steve says we've got some old clothes down in the cargo holds. We can get changed out of these yucky old water logged sand infested horrible things." She explained, half cheerily and half with disgust at what was left of her robe.

"He even brought clothes? Wow. He thinks of everything." Zinkata remarked.

"They _are _charity leftovers. Don't expect anything at the heights of fashion." Vivli pointed out.

"Dammit. And here I was, caring so much about fashion." Bootus grumbled sarcastically, getting up and wondering below decks. The others followed, leaving Vivli waiting.

"You ain't coming Viv?" Voldos asked curiously.

"Girl. Guys." Vivli stated simply. "I'll wait."

"Me too." Remasa ventured.

"We don't mind. Honestly." Voldos grinned. Vivli walked over and playfully hit him, causing him to duck away and go below decks.

It was some time later that the group finally re-emerged, mostly wearing faded white t-shirts and dull trousers, except for Bootus who was in a tie-dyed shirt that made Vivli giggle.

"What? It was the only galka clothing there!" Bootus protested. This made her giggle more. Olose hadn't changed at all, she noticed, causing her to raise an eyebrow.

"I'm not losing the jacket." He protested.

"What about the shirt?" Vivli countered.

"I changed the shirt!" He cried back. Vivli put her hands on her hips in a very unbelieving stance. "Charity clothes!" He pointed out. "Now go get changed!"

"_Finally_." Vivli sighed. "I can get out of these robes!"

"Urr, don't you like those robes?" Zinkata ventured.

"Well, yeah." Vivli replied with a shrug. "But since my skin got all softified the cotton has been _really _itchy." She blushed as she realised how ridiculous that sounded, but before anybody could get a word in Remasa spoke up.

"I don't think 'softified' is a word, Viv." She pointed out.

"Yeah, well, who are you? My language teacher?" Vivli replied smugly.

"Well, actually, yes, I was." Remasa pointed out. Vivli fumed for a moment.

"You win this round." She shot, marching below decks, causing everybody to laugh.

The male party members hung around mostly in silence, trying their best not to be distracted by Crazy Steve's coffee mug antics, looking out over at the sea passing.

"What do you think things are like back in Bastok?" It was Bootus who finally spoke up.

"I'm more worried about San d'Oria." Voldos admitted. Everybody looked at him for a moment. "Hey! I'm not being a stereotypical Elvaan! My _wife _is there."

"I know what you mean." Zinkata admitted, shifting his feet. "I can't help but worrying about Windurst. Tam is there."

"Yeah, I under-" Voldos began, but was cut off.

"C'mon Viv!" Remasa encouraged, walking up on deck.

"I'm not going up there!" Vivli replied indignantly from below.

"They'll understand they were the only clothes that fit you." Remasa said softly.

"No they won't!" Vivli protested.

"Sure we will!" Input Bootus, trying not to laugh.

"Fine!" Vivli gave in, and stormed up on deck, dressed in a bright pink t-shirt with the word 'girly' written in red glitter across it, and white trousers.

The entire deck burst into laughter.

"Knew you couldn't do it!" Vivli yelled with a childish stomp of her foot. Olose tried to comfort her, but gave up forming words and just went back to laughing. Vivli fumed silently for a moment, before speaking up again. "It's not my fault they only had little kid's clothes! I think they're hume…if you humes weren't so freakishly tall I'd-" It was useless, they were still laughing. Even Crazy Steve had joined in, but most likely only because he felt left out. Vivli just folded her arms tightly and sat on the deck, looking sulky.

"Sorry Viv," Bootus was oddly the one who tried to apologise. Odd for a moment, that is. "It's just, it suits you _so _much." He finished, before bursting into another round of laughter. Even Remasa couldn't hold it in. Vivli looked angry for a moment longer, looked down at her t-shirt, and gave in, bursting into innocent laughter along with them. They all ended up in a kind of group hug, laughing against each other.

"Can we agree to never mention this again please?" Vivli begged.

"You're joking, right?" Voldos input. "You're wearing that for the rest of time." Vivli groaned, and simply giggled a little.

"Well, we've still got some time before we reach mainland." Zinkata decided. "I suggest we dig into the ship's food supplies, get some real food inside of us. We're going to need the energy."

It became apparent that there wasn't much in the way of food on the ship, but bread, some cheese, the odd slice of meat, the heroes managed to make enough for a good meal. They all sat around a table below deck, eating. Olose kept frowning at Vivli while she played with her food.

"You had better eat all of that, Viv." Olose warned, wanting to see her eating properly again.

"But there's so much!" Vivli protested, looking down at her plate dejectedly.

"Actually, these are shrimpy portions." Voldos pointed out. "We're lacking in lots of food."  
"But I don't like shrimp!" Vivli tried, before realising that excuse wasn't what they were looking for. "I haven't been eating much! I can't eat all this!" Vivli continued to protest.

"Yes you can. Just put it in your mouth." Remasa instructed casually.

"There's no room left!" Vivli tried desperately.

"You're going to eat all that young lady or you're going straight to bed with no dessert and_ no_ bed time story!" Bootus insisted, before breaking out into laughter.

"Aw, but I like the bedtime stories." Vivli shot at him sarcastically, before shutting her eyes and taking another bite, despite her body telling her to stop.

"So, how come Steve found us?" Zinkata decided to ask, trying to change the subject.

"From what I could tell of what Crazy Steve was saying, they've sent out rescue ships looking for us." Vivli explained, being endlessly amused by Steve and therefore the only one to talk to him for any length of time.

"For us?" Remasa questioned.  
"Nice of them." Olose grumbled.

"They need us." Vivli explained. "San d'Oria and Bastok are at war. They're literally fighting it out in the Valkurm Dunes right now. Seems they see something isn't right here."

"So they fall back on the Light Warriors." Zinkata finished.

"No pressure guys." Remasa joked, cheerfully.

"Keep eating, Viv." Olose instructed, noticing Vivli was taking this opportunity to give up. She groaned and carried on. She actually found it sweet they cared enough to try and make her eat properly again, but it was difficult.

"How are we supposed to stop a _war_?" Bootus questioned. "A normal bad guy, sure, we can punch them in the face pretty good. But a _war_?"

"We need to kill Abaj, and find evidence that he started it. Once we present that to the President and King they'll end this thing." Olose explained. "But we need evidence. Seems like they didn't listen before. We need undeniable proof."

"How about a witness?" Came a nervous voice from the doorway.

Talia stood there, a quivering attempted smile across her face.

"What are you doing here?" Olose snapped. The Light Warriors instinctively drew their weapons. Up on deck Crazy Steve continued speaking to his mug.

"Things are worse than you know!" Talia tried to explain.

"They usually are. I don't see how that affects me." Olose replied casually.

"Abaj has… He's awakened something. Something more powerful." Talia began to explain. "More powerful than any of us."

"Business as usual then." Voldos sighed to Bootus.

"Yeah, well, that doesn't often bother us." Zinkata shot, readying his weapon.

"No! Wait!" Talia cried, desperate not to get into a fight. "I came to help! I came to stop him!"

"Why?" Olose growled. "You seemed fine with siding with Abaj against me. You seemed fine with helping him destroy us all all those years ago. You seemed fine with helping him claim ruler ship over us all. Why do you want to help us all now?" Talia looked lost. She tried to say something, but the words were formless. Finally she managed to croak just one word.

"_Daddy_." She said simply, tears filling her eyes.

And suddenly Olose understood. Talia had accepted who she was. Who he was. And that meant she knew Abaj was lying. Had lied. All of her life. There was no way she could help him and whoever his new friend was succeed now. Even if she wasn't loyal, even if this was a trick, she could never go all the way. She could never betray the man who was truly her father.

Olose walked up and hugged her, simply holding her for a moment.

"So how can we stop it?" Zinkata asked, folding his arms.

"Well, he wants bodies. _Needs _bodies. I heard him say. That's when I teleported out." Talia explained.

"To do what?" Vivli asked nervously.

"Summon forth Promethia into this realm." Talia answered simply.

"That would mean the-" Remasa began.

"-end of the world." Olose finished. "Can't say that's entirely foreign territory."

"Yeah, suddenly I find myself needing to know the plural of 'apocalypse'." Voldos muttered.

"So, how do we stop this thing? Any bright ideas?" Bootus asked gruffly.

"Well, I can stop the war." Talia ventured. "I can confess, my werewolf status should be proof."

"But they'll kill you-" Olose began.

"Better me than the world." Talia tried to smile. "But then this Furcas demon will just search for bodies himself. You need to find a way to kill him."

"Guys." Voldos began, looking out over the edge of the airship. "I think we're approaching Bastok." The others rushed to the edge of the ship, looking down. They could see a massive battle taking place outside of the gates. Some seemed to be inside.

"I'd say we're too late for the confession." Voldos shot at Talia, who just paused guiltily.

"I can't see! What's happening?" Remasa asked desperately. Vivli scooped down to pick her up, tried, failed, and just looked embarrassed. Talia went to pick her up, but Remasa backed away, not trusting her. Finally Bootus did it, and sat her on his shoulder. "Oh. That." She commented dryly.

"He's going to get plenty of bodies from that…" Vivli whispered in quiet awe.

"What do we do?" Remasa asked in desperation.

"You stop them." Talia said, as though it was obvious.

"Any ideas on _how _we might do that?" Bootus growled.

"You're the Light Warriors!" Talia explained. "Destined to defend the world against evil. Remember?"

The Light Warriors looked to each other for a moment.

"Hey, she's right." Voldos readied his bow. Bootus drew his scythe. Zinkata spun his sword. Vivli just shrugged, not having (nor needing) her staff.

"We _are_ Light Warriors. And when we fight together, nothing can stand in our way!" Vivli agreed.

"No demon, beast, war or plot has done us in yet." Bootus added.

"Then let's do this." Zinkata finally said. "We'll get down there and we'll find a way to stop the fighting."

"And us?" Remasa questioned.

"You stay here." Zinkata decided. "This is our destiny, not yours."

"We can help." Olose ventured.

"Get Talia to President Karst." Zinkata ordered. "She can stop the war, and we'll stop the battle. We'll especially stop this demon from rounding up the fallen bodies."

"You've got it." Olose nodded. "Viv, be careful."

"Hey! What about us?" Voldos protested.

"I don't care about you." Olose said jokingly, prompting a laugh.

"Steve! Lower the airship!" Voldos cried. The airship dipped down just as he ordered. Voldos quickly grabbed a piece of rope from the deck and tied it around his bow, before firing it into the ground. "Time to slide!" He announced, grabbing a piece of wood from a barrel on the airship and using it to zip-wire down the rope. Bootus and Zinkata followed suite.

"Amateurs." Vivli sighed to herself, levitating herself up in the air. "This powerful magic is fun." She smiled, floating down off the deck and into the fray below.

The four Light Warriors regrouped as Vivli settled down on the ground.

"Couldn't you have told us you could do that _before _we all slid down?" Bootus protested, rubbing his head from an obviously painful landing.

"Aw, but you looked like you were having such fun." Vivli mocked.

"Whatever, girly." Bootus countered. Vivli fumed again for a moment.

"Alright! Let's get to work!" Zinkata ordered, and the party formed up, striking attacking poses.

"We're the Light Warriors, we're back, and evil is about to pay!"


	19. Secrets and Battles

**Author's Note: Uber apologies for the delay everybody! Yes, I said uber. It's how much I apologise. I have no excuse.**

**That's a lie. I do. I had four weeks to help produce a play with a cast of 36 for my final practical exam of the year, as well as multiple essays to worry about.**

**But that's not a proper excuse. I was just so burnt out from work I couldn't write.**

**I'd like to say everything will be better now, and I'll update faster, but I can't promise anything. I'm still pretty burnt out from this story.**

**  
On a side note, as pointed out, the link in the last chapter didn't work, to the wallpaper. It's been fixed now, so I hope you like.**

**If for some freak reason it doesn't still work, and you want to see it, let me know and I'll e-mail it to you.**

**And the evoke ancient curses upon imageshack for failing me again.**

**Okay, maybe not that second part.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy, and really sorry it took so long! I'll try and improve, I promise!**

**CHAPTER XVIII**

"Say what?" Bootus questioned.

"What?" Vivli asked innocently, as battle raged around them.

"That was the worst thing I've ever heard anybody say in my life." The massive galka grumbled.

"Excuse me?" Vivli protested, placing her hands on her hips. "It's not _my _fault if not _all _of my heroic quips are classics!"

"Classics? 'We're the Light Warriors, we're back, and evil is about to pay'? Could you have _said_ anything worse?" Bootus argued.

"Hey! I had to come up with something! We could hardly land like that and _not _say anything." Vivli tried to point out.

"Would have been better than that!" Bootus countered.

"Guys!" Zinkata snapped, ducking under a sword swiped at him. "Can we focus?"

"Sorry Zin, but I'm a man of principles. And I cannot let a bad line like that slide." Bootus stated firmly.

"Principles? I bet you don't even know what a principle is!" Vivli yelled at the gigantic galka.

"Isn't he the guy who runs a school?" Voldos inquired.

"Clearly something you've never visited." Vivli grumbled.

"Seriously! Focus!" Zinkata groaned. "We're in the middle of a war here."

"It's okay. Nobody will mistake you for warriors in _those _clothes." Came a booming voice from behind. The four spun around, and all suddenly grinned.

"Iron Eater!" Vivli cried happily, at seeing their old friend.

"Good to see you again, Viv. I'm sure there's some rule about you guys being united, but right now, I really don't think we care." Iron Eater gestured to the chaos around him.

"I think we care." Zinkata shot, his eyes darkening at the site of the galka. "Do you have any idea what you put us through?" By 'us', it was obvious he meant 'Vivli'. He still cared for her a great deal, and everything she had dealt with had been Iron Eater's fault.

"I'm sorry Zinkata, but you know, I serve the President of Bastok." Iron Eater stated firmly. "I have to obey his rules." Zinkata growled lowly. "Now would somebody please tell me what Bootus is doing in a tie-dyed t-shirt?"

"Hand me downs. We got stranded on an island for a while, all I got were some charity clothes." Bootus explained a matter of factly.

"Oh right." Iron Eater nodded.  
"Wait a minute!" Vivli protested. "Why does _he _get asked why he's wearing that, but you don't think what I'm wearing is odd?" Iron Eater fell silent for a minute.

"Oh. You're in charity clothes too?" He inquired, sounding a little surprised.

"Yes!" Vivli fumed.

"Oh. Sorry. I just thought- Well, y'know, looked like the kinda thing you'd wear." Iron Eater tried to explain, seeing Vivli get madder and madder.

"WHAT?" She snapped.

"You remember the focusing thing?" Zinkata sighed. "Can we try that again, please. I'm sure we almost got there last time."

Olose, Talia and Remasa rushed into the President's office, having managed to get there via the airship (which itself had a few shots fired at it, not that Crazy Steve seemed to notice).

"Mr President, you have to stop this! Now!" Olose cried.

"Stop it? Why, the elvaans attacked us." The President said innocently, not even rising from his chair. Olose raised an eyebrow. He seemed oddly calm for someone being confronted by a rampaging group of people. "Again. It seems like a sign of war to me."

"The opening assault wasn't them!" Olose argued.

"Oh. That's a pity." The President smiled. "But I guess the pressure we put on them afterwards just forced them to attack. Forced them to start the war proper."

"It's a false attack!" Talia suddenly spoke up. "You're being manipulated! This whole thing is just a manipulation!"

"Talia, my dear," The President smiled, "These manipulations you speak of only brought to the surface what was already there."

"We never said her name." Olose said in sudden realisation. "How did you know-"

"What she was called?" The President finished, finally rising. "Oops." He smiled.

"President Karst!" Remasa protested.

"Karst has been dead for four years." The President suddenly laughed. "Oh, and point of interest? He never had a son." A man stepped through the door behind the trio. Olose turned around, and recognised him. He was the President's 'son' the Light Warriors had apparently murdered.

"I know you!" Talia cried. "You're a werewolf!"

"You tricked them!" Olose realised. "You split up the Light Warriors."

"They were a threat to our operation Olose. Like you." The fake President smiled. "Only, I could not dispose of you so easily."

"Why not?" Olose growled.

"Because it's personal." The President shot back, walking forwards from his desk. A sudden haze seemed to overtake him, and whatever illusion was making him look like Karst faded, and before Olose stood Abaj. "I've been running this backwards nation for the past four years." Abaj cackled. "They never realised. Even when I had a son mysteriously appear from nowhere. Claimed we'd pretended he had never existed, fearing political repercussions if this 'off the rails' son was found out. Everybody brought it. And it served as perfect reason to drive a wedge between the Light Warriors."

"Except, you failed. They're united again!" Olose snapped.

"Are they?" Abaj laughed. "The mithra is certainly broken. The others have commitments elsewhere now. They'll never be truly united." Abaj smiled, before turning to Talia. "Oh, and I'm so disappointed in you dear."

"You never told me about this…" Talia whimpered.

"Of course not." Abaj laughed.

"You don't trust me." Talia shot.

"Never did." Abaj casually sighed. "You're the daughter of my rival. I knew one day you'd turn on me."

"Then it is true…" Talia whispered, near tears.

"I'd love to keep up this chat." Abaj grinned. "But let's end this, shall we?"

"Let's." Olose growled, lunging at Abaj and knocking him right through the back wall, and out of the building.

Talia went to follow, but the other werewolf, the President's fake son, snarled behind her. Talia and Remasa spun around, and took fighting stances.

The Light Warriors ran and hid behind a building.

"You're looking for a demon, you say?" Iron Eater inquired.

"Yeah." Voldos nodded. "Big. Demonic. Collecting bodies."

"Voldos. The master of description!" Bootus announced boldly.

"Like that?" Iron Eater inquired as a gigantic hulking black creature walked by, bodies slung on its back.

"I'd imagine so." Zinkata commented dryly. "Get people clear, Iron." He ordered. "Let's see if we can't take this guy down."

"Oh, I've got a bad feeling about this." Vivli whimpered.

Olose stood over Abaj's crumpled form, the wall of the President's Office crumbling behind him.

"That all you got, Abaj?" Olose taunted.

"You've seen nothing yet!" Abaj suddenly cried, leaping up and punching and kicking at Olose, who was driven back, blocking. He grabbed Abaj's leg and swung him around, causing him to crash into the Windurst Embassy. Stone crumpled down as Abaj leapt out in full werewolf form.

"Oh, and I thought this was going to be boring." Olose smirked, bursting into his own werewolf form. The two leapt at each other and clashed in the air, plumpting to the ground and tearing at each other. Abaj grabbed Olose by jabbing his claws into the hero's chest, and flung him over his head. Olose crashed down near the lifts down into the ironworks.

"Do you really think you can kill me?" Abaj roared.

"I've done it enough times." Olose grumbled, standing up wearingly.

"Yeah, and look where we are now." Abaj laughed. "You'll never be rid of me!"

"That's okay." Olose's werewolf form seemed to smirk. "This is amazing stress relief."

He flung himself at Abaj again, and the two clashed their claws, causing sparks to fly.

Behind them, the door to the President's Office exploded open as both Remasa and Talia were forced through it by the other werewolf. Remasa went flying backwards through the air, but Talia merely adopted her werewolf form and dived at the other, already in wolf form. The two began to clash at super speeds, but Talia quickly took the advantage as she started casting spells of her own to assist. Remasa ran in and quickly cast protective spells on Talia.

Olose managed a sideways glance, noticing how little either mage was helping him, and felt Abaj slam into his side. He rocketed back across Bastok, into a nearby wall. He hit a button and a spike shot out, impaling Olose.

"This is my home turf now, Olose. You didn't think I didn't have some traps installed, did you?" Abaj grinned.

"Clever…" Olose grumbled. "But if you were really as smart as you act….you'd of made it out of SILVER!" Olose roared as he pulled the spike from the mechanism that held it and tore it out of his flesh, wielding it like a weapon. He spun it in the air and sliced at Abaj with it, who leapt back.

"And you're so much smarter? With your big club?" Abaj taunted as Olose swung it around and hit the evil werewolf back.

"I like to think so." Olose smirked.

The four Light Warriors, weapons assembled, stood behind Furcas.

"Hey, big guy!" Voldos cried. "Can we have a word?" Furcas began to turn around, and Voldos let fly an arrow. Furcas caught it before it hit him, and grinned.

"A pathetic start for a pathetic group." Furcas snarled.

"So, who are you meant to be?" Bootus shot. "The big bad wereape?"

"I am Furcas!" Boomed the demon. "Servant to Promethia! His loyal demon! And soon, I shall be the one who brings him into this dimension!"

"We might have a thing or two to say about that." Zinkata warned.

"Ha. Then speak, mortal." Furcas laughed. "I am a being of pure darkness. My soul is one with Promethia. When I summon him, I shall become his vessel. And he shall walk this world in all of his glory. And you shall all know the wrath of a God."

"Of course!" Vivli cried. "Promethia's power is darkness, like Altana's is light. With a being of pure darkness upon this world, he can take direct control of that vessel, given the proper ritual."

"Thank you exposition girl." Bootus grumbled. "What if we kill him? Can he do the ritual then?"

"Well, no." Vivli admitted.

"Alrighty then!" Bootus grinned.

"This is going to be fun." Growled Furcas. Zinkata and Bootus ran at the demon. Voldos fired his arrows as Vivli began to cast.

Olose rammed back Abaj with the gigantic spike, slicing him across his face.

"Even the best people's plans backfire." Abaj growled, uttering a curse. "I guess it's 'til we meet again, Olose."

"Got an escape route planned?" Olose laughed. "Because I'm as sure as hell not letting you get away!"

"Oh, please. I have a linkshell. My mages have heard this entire conversation. You may have stolen Talia from me, but I still have magic from mortals at my disposal!"

"You won't get that chance!" Olose yelled, driving the spike forwards, towards Abaj. But he simply vanished before the spike made contact. "Dammit!" Olose cried.

Talia ducked under a swipe from the werewolf and jumped over another, before diving aside as Remasa shot it with a lightning bolt. It staggered back and Talia spun around, slicing off its head. Olose ran up to the two.

"It's a lost cause here. We need to get to San d'Oria. Perhaps we can still persuade them-" He began.

"What about the Light Warriors?" Talia questioned.

"Yeah. We can't leave Vivli in this!" Remasa concurred.

"Okay. I'll find them." Olose decided. "You two, prep the airship."

"Wha?" Remasa looked blank.

"That means try and find a way to make Crazy Steve understand where we're going." He mumbled.

Bootus slammed into a nearby shop, and found himself in a pile of weapons.

"Ouch!" He announced. "Okay, so Ape Boy is strong."

"Fast too!" Vivli announced in a worried tone as he leapt over Zinkata's sword swipe and hit him in the back, rocketing Zinkata down the street.

"Not too bright though." Voldos input, sticking a bunch of arrows in his back. Furcas turned around with a growl, and began marching towards the elvaan. A sudden blast of energy hit him back.

"Go Carby go!" Vivli cheered, jumping in the air, as the tiny greenish blue form of Carbuncle leapt at Furcas.

"Anybody would think you'd forgotten you were a summoner." Bootus grumbled, dusting himself off. Carbuncle leapt over Furcas and let out another blast of energy into his back. Furcas spun around in anger.

"Wow. Little guy is really kicking ass. He must be miffed." Voldos observed. Zinkata charged up behind Furcas and drove his sword at his back. Furcas jumped again, causing Zinkata to run right underneath him. He turned just in time to see Bootus hit him from behind. Furcas stumbled forwards, being slashed by Zinkata's sword as he did so. More arrows thudded into his back, and he roared again, kicking backwards and punching forwards to send both Bootus and Zinkata flying at the same time. Carbuncle leapt into the air again to blast him a third time, but he snatched the small green creature out of the air and threw into the ground, before stamping on it.

Vivli's eyes went wide, and she suddenly felt a bit sick.

"Carby?" She whimpered.

"Okay. _That _was something I didn't have to see!" Voldos announced as the squished remains of Carbuncle melted away in a white light. He suddenly noticed a massive galka flying at him. Apparently Furcas had picked Bootus up and thrown him into Voldos. Vivli jumped in shock, and tried not to giggle at Voldos's horrified expression. She quickly cast a healing spell on the two of them, and gulped as Furcas's vision snapped to her. He began marching towards her. Zinkata ran and thrusted at him with his sword in an attempt to distract him. Furcas simply grabbed Zinkata by the arm and threw him aside. He walked right up to Vivli, who stumbled away in fear, but couldn't get away fast enough. He grabbed her, and hit her once, knocking her unconscious with ease.

"White mages. Such frail things, don't you think?" He cackled. Bootus charged at Furcas, but he simply pulled a massive post that was holding up a balcony out and smashed it over the head of the galka, knocking him down. More arrows hit Furcas, but this time he pulled them out of his thick hide, and threw them back at Voldos like darts, causing them to thud into the elvaan and make him drop to his knees. Zinkata ran at him again, thrusting with his sword so quickly this time it drove Furcas back. Furcas kicked upwards however, knocking the blade from the paladin's hand. Zinkata didn't have time to react before Furcas knocked him back, causing him to crash into a nearby building.

The four Light Warriors groaned, all in deep pain.

"Pathetic!" Furcas roared. "Is that it? Are you all that this world offers to oppose me? Four weaklings so easily beaten? Are you the best this world can offer?" And suddenly the demon heard a voice from behind him:

"Well, I wouldn't say the _best_."

It was Olose Sampson.


	20. Showdown

**Author's Note: Wow. It's been a while. I really apologise for the slow updates, but to be honest, I've just lost it. Whatever I had that let me write has kinda gone, so now I'm down to forcing out chapters. But, I do have a good climax lined up. It's just getting there that will be a challenge.**

**Still, I'm really sorry you had to wait this long. I'd imagine whatever readers I had have vanished in this time. Sorry!**

**On a side note, this chapter's battle between Olose and Furcas is very much inspired by a video game. Since so many of my previous stories had villains from outside sources, and this one doesn't, I wanted to homage a video game somewhere, so I did.**

**Hopefully it'll be fun.**

**And another good ol' Light Warrior cliché is fulfilled by the end of this chapter too!**

**Anyway, sorry about the wait, and enjoy!**

**CHAPTER XIX**

"Ah. Altana's Champion." Furcas observed calmly. "I had thought you had given up."

"There was a slight delay." Olose replied calmly. "Nothing I couldn't handle."

"I can only assume you are referring to that fool, Abaj." Furcas sighed. "His charade was a clever one. Initiate a war from which he shall rule, but that has all changed now. It's time to stop playing games. This world is at war. With _me_."

"I'm hearin' a lot of talk." Olose laughed. "But, y'know, you don't look so tough."

"I'm sure you find yourself amusing, Champion." Furcas replied, the calm never leaving his voice. "But as I said, the time for games is over." He held up a hand, and purple swirling ball of energy formed in it. "My power is far beyond that of any werewolf. There is no dark magic outside my grasp, there is nothing I cannot do. You cannot stand against me."

He hurled the ball casually at Olose, whose eyes went wide as he dived aside. It smashed into the weapons shop behind him, and the entire shop exploded in a brilliant explosion of fire and magical energy.

"Dammit! I liked that shop!" Olose protested, trying to make light of the situation, but actually suddenly very worried. A magical explosion like that would be enough to destroy even a werewolf.

Before he could say anything else, another ball of energy flew at him. He leapt aside, but the ground exploded where it hit and knocked him to the ground.

"Olose!" Zinkata half yelled and half groaned from the floor, tossing the werewolf his sword. "It's a paladin blade! Blessed to repel dark magic!"

"How does that help?" Olose replied, snatching the sword out of the air as he staggered back to his feet. Furcas hurled another ball of energy. Olose dived aside again, but this time the explosion caught him, and hurtled him to the floor, hard.

He groaned, looking up as Furcas prepared to finish him off, another ball appeared in his hand.

"Pathetic." He stated. "The Light Warriors and Altana's Champion felled so easily. This world deserves to die."

"Dammit! Olose! Use the sword!" Zinkata groaned as the ball was hurtled in at Olose. Olose just managed to get to his feet and swiped with the blade, hitting the incoming energy ball with it. To his surprise, the ball of energy was knocked back, flying through the air back at Furcas.

"Ha! Let's see how you like it!" Olose taunted.

"Fool." Furcas stated casually, knocking the ball back at Olose with his arm. Olose, who was unprepared for it to come back at him, used all of his werewolf strength to fling himself away, again dodging the massive explosion.

"Okay. You can deflect them too…" Olose groaned. "Well, Furcas, up for a little sport?" Another ball appeared in Furcas's hand.

"I said the time for games was past. Now, die!" Furcas hurtled the ball at Olose, but the werewolf was ready, and knocked it back at him with his blade. "Hm!" Furcas exclaimed, knocking it back casually. Olose returned it again with his sword, this time leaping through the air as he did so, trying to move away from where Furcas would return it. Furcas however, easily beat it back at him, despite Olose's move. Olose returned it again, however, regardless.

"I think we're onto something here. Could be a whole new sport…" Olose joked, with his best attempt at a confident smile.

"You're as foolish as you are-" Furcas began, but before he could finish, arrows from a badly injured Voldos slammed into his back, and he let out a cry of pain. This distracted him long enough for the ball of energy to hit him.

Olose turned his eyes away from the explosion, and sighed, panting, dropping his sword.

"Well, that could have been harder." He said breathlessly, before wincing and closing his eyes. The smoke hadn't cleared. And he just _knew _what would happen when it did.

Although, in fact, Olose didn't get a chance to see that. Furcas sprang out of the smoke like a meteor, and crashed into Olose, sending him flying back.

"It was fun, Olose." Furcas began, picking up the werewolf by his legs and slamming him into the ground like a rag doll. "But it's over. You cannot harm me." Furcas released Olose, who slumped, defeated. "Yet, I will not kill you here." Furcas turned to address the Light Warriors. "None of you are a match for me. I have no reason to kill you. You will die when this world burns under Promethia's flame. Until then, so long."

Furcas walked off as the Light Warriors struggled to their feet. He gathered the bodies he could, and was gone by the time any of them could stand. Olose helped them to their feet, noticing that Vivli was still unconscious.

"Wow. She really is frail." He remarked.

"That guy hit _hard_." Zinkata said in her defence.

"I noticed." Olose replied, rubbing his jaw.

"Damn. Is it me or did we just get our asses kicked?" Bootus groaned, climbing to his feet.

"It's not you." Voldos commented, rolling his shoulder.

Olose paused as the others began to regroup, picking up the unconscious Vivli.

"I was winning, too." He protested miserably.

Vivli's eyes opened slowly to the site of clouds whizzing by, and she groaned loudly.

"Owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww." She moaned. "My head hurts…" She whimpered somewhat pathetically, before trying weakly to sit up. She felt somebody help her and she noticed she was on an airship. "Oh, so that's why I feel sick." She muttered. "Where are we? What's going on?"

Olose helped her up, and it was revealed that both the werewolf and the Light Warriors were all gathered on board.

"You've been out for a while, Viv." Olose began to explain. "We're heading to San d'Oria."

"Oh." Vivli muttered. "Urm, why?"

"Furcas's little interference stopped the attack on Bastok, and with Karst revealed to be dead, Cid has taken control of the city, under martial law." Zinkata voiced up.

"Which makes us the peace envoy. Turns out people listen to Light Warriors." Voldos explained.

"Wait. Cid has taken charge of Bastok?" Vivli questioned. "Then who's flying the airship?"

"Who'd ya think?" Bootus asked, slumping down on a crate.

Vivli glanced at the bridge and sighed.

"Crazy Steve…"

"Guys…" Vivli span around as she heard Talia's voice, slightly surprised to see that she was still on the airship. "What the hell is _that_?"

Olose's daughter was firmly pointing off the edge of the ship, to which the others flocked, and suddenly all gasped in shock.

They were flying over the dunes on their way to San d'Oria, but what was below them had never been there before. A gigantic black fortress, made from some perfectly smooth stone, and raised from the ground, with massive spiked towers reaching into the sky, almost as high as the airship was flying.

"That has to be Furcas…" Remasa commented.

"What's that? Flying around it? Vultures?" Vivli asked, pointing downwards.

"No. Not vultures." Olose commented simply. "They're too big. They're…"

"…Dragons." Zinkata finished.  
"How can you tell?" Talia asked nervously.

"Because there's one right behind us." Zinkata said through gritted teeth.

Sure enough, a gigantic black shadowy dragon was soaring along behind the _Raven III_, and its mouth was glowing.

"Airships and dragons don't mix. Trust us on that one." Voldos explained to Talia.

"Steve! Evasive manoeuvres!" Olose screamed. "_Now!_"

"Hold on to something!" Bootus yelled to Talia.

"Ohhh, here we go." Vivli moaned as the _Raven III _dropped out of the air into a dive, the fireball flying directly over it.

The tiny airship whizzed down, flying past the new giant fortress, multiple dragons breaking off to follow it as it did.

"Steve! Aim for the Plateau! Take us lower!" Zinkata ordered, clinging to the deck desperately. A huge group of fireballs whizzed past the _Raven_ as it powered itself along.

"_Lower_?" Talia protested, looking at the ground flying past them. "Aren't we low enough?"

"Into the canyons!" Zinkata continued.

"_WHAT?_" Every other party member screamed.

"You're crazy!" Crazy Steve voiced up. "Just how I like it."

The _Raven III_soared along the grass as it left the Dunes, causing sheep and worms alike to look up in startled shock. Fireballs slammed into the ground all around it as it weaved in an attempt to dodge. A sickeningly loud crack filled the air as it knocked over a couple of trees from flying too low.

"Sorry!" Crazy Steve yelled as it flew by, before approaching one of the canyons that populated the Plateau.

Steve took one look and turned the ship into it at a nose dive.

"We won't last two seconds in here!" Olose yelled, knowing just how short the canyons could be.

"We don't need to!" Zinkata yelled back as Steve pulled the _Raven III _up and out of the canyon, just before smashing into the end wall.

The entire bottom half of the airship was ripped away as the _Raven _just failed to get high enough and the entire ship began to spiral out of control. However, the dragons faired even less well, slamming into the canyon wall.

Vivli screamed in blind terror as the _Raven _plummeted from the sky and smashed into the ground, skiing along the Plateau, ripping away what was left of its hull and smashing into the mountain side as a pile of rubble.

It was as quieter day in San d'Oria as they came when a young blonde hume woman was out hunting. It had been a while since her husband, a tall dark elvaan had left.

And now she saw an airship under attack in the distance.

And Emilen knew that Voldos was back.

"Always in trouble." She sighed lightly, noticing already the San d'Orian guard pouring towards the rapidly crashing ship. "This won't end well."

She let out a whistle and a chocobo came running across the grass, onto which she jumped. For a moment the airship seemed to disappear, dipping into the Plateau.

"This won't end well at all." She repeated, before suddenly seeing the airship burst up again, but this time there was an incredible crash as it hit the ground. And then she could see no more, apart from the trail of black smoke left by the horrific crash landing. "Go, boy! He might be in trouble!" Emilen ordered, and the chocobo shot off, over taking the marching troops.

Voldos woke up with daze, looking at a blurry brown blob looming over him. He reacted quickly and skilfully, shutting his eyes and deciding to go back to sleep.

"Voldos? You okay?" Came a voice.

"Mppphmmppphm!" Came the elvaan's sophisticated reply.

"Voldos!" Olose yelled, insisting. Voldos jerked into life, and the blob formed the jacket surrounding Olose Sampson.

"Oh, right. Ow." He groaned. "We okay?"  
"All okay!" Vivli beamed, surprisingly being unhurt.

"Okay is not the word I'd use." Talia grumbled, getting a nod of agreement from Remasa, who was healing herself with a spell.

"Urr, Voldos?" Zinkata called out.

"Yeah?" Voldos wondered over, joining his fellow Light Warrior.

"Welcome home." Zinkata grumbled sarcastically, pointing to the San d'Orian army that had surrounded the airship.

And at the front of them all sat Emilen, still on her chocobo, smiling happily.

"Well, dear," She grinned, "You really can make an entrance!"


End file.
